


Introducing the DoreDore Crew

by NoctIsFishing



Series: DoreDore Adventure [1]
Category: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure tri.
Genre: Action, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Minor Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swordfighting, non-canon parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-09-11 21:43:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16860820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoctIsFishing/pseuds/NoctIsFishing
Summary: The governor's daughter wants nothing more than to run from the shackles of royalty. Her brother has been on the run for a long time, along with his crew of misfits, and he's enjoying every moment of it. Pirate AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **doredore(do-re-do-re) = let's see**
> 
> Heavily inspired by One Piece (which I do not own, nor do I own Digimon). Some inspiration from Pirates of the Caribbean. Playing around with the Pirate AU, thanks to Nami. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think! Happy reading!

Taiyou town was an ordinary port town by the sea. Ships and boats that docked were of all sorts - fisherman with their catches, tradesman looking for a trade, marines seeking a place to rest. Day in and day out, the city centre was busy with townsfolk, and shopkeepers welcomed business from all folks with open arms.

All folks, except for pirates, of course.

At the top of the hill from the city centre stood a mansion, where the city's governor and his family lived. On one warm and sunny afternoon, when the sky showed its pearlescent blue and big, pillowy clouds against it, the governor decided to have tea with his wife and daughter on the large balcony of their mansion, overlooking the sea. They dressed in their typical formal attire, the governor himself in his frilled cravat and frock coat, while his wife and daughter in their fashionable gowns.

One of their female servants set their tea plates and cups in front of them, pouring the jasmine green tea in each cup. As the light breeze whisked around him, the governor turned to his wife and shared a smile, but as they both looked to their daughter, their smiles wore away as they noticed her chin on her palm, her elbow against the table, and her distant stare toward the water.

"Hikari-chan!" his wife hissed, causing their daughter to snap her head toward them with surprise.

"Hmm?" she said, her brown eyes wide, as though she had just woken up from a daydream.

"Haven't I taught you anything, child? Arms off the table. Sit up straight. Always in your own little world. It's a wonder you had a hard time finding friends at school."

"Yes, yes, mother. I'm sorry."

Hikari reluctantly obeyed her mother's wishes, lifting herself from the table, straightening her back. Her brown hair was in a stylish ponytail, draping in front of her shoulder to just over her chest. It was too long for her liking, but her mother insisted to keep it that way. She noticed her mother's watchful eyes as she made sure to pick up her tea cup by the handle and daintily sip her tea.

"I hope you're looking forward to tomorrow night's dinner with the marine chief and his son," her mother continued. "He's a very nice young man. I think you'll get along nicely."

Hikari looked at her father, who nodded with approval. Even as a man who decided how to run a whole city, he knew better than to go against anything his wife said. Hikari smiled back at him with force, knowing exactly the intent of the dinner. Her parents never tried to be inconspicuous when it came to introducing her to potential suitors.

She wanted to take larger gulps of her tea, but refrained so as not to burn her tongue. She kept with her lady-like etiquette, holding her elbow up, the puffy sleeve along her forearm angled properly away from her chest -

"Hikari!" her mother said suddenly, grabbing the arm that held her cup, nearly spilling the tea. Her eyes glared at the red slit on the back of her wrist. "We've talked about this!"

Hikari looked back in fright, hoping the sleeve of her gown would hide the cut.

"You've been going into town after curfew again, haven't you?" her mother continued. "Gallivanting with that swordsmith boy-"

"It's not like that, mother!" Hikari retorted finally, causing her father to turn his head at her. She pulled her hand away from her mother, gently rubbing her wrist. "I've been learning how to defend myself with a sword. Takeru's been teaching me-"

"We've told you -  _no swords._ We have our guards for that! And the marines throughout the city and across the waters! A governor's daughter should have no business wielding a sword!"

"And why is that?" Hikari stood up, and the table shook, the teacups jingling. "What's so wrong about me doing what I want?

Her mother stood up too, causing the governor to jump in fright a second time in his own seat. "Your father and I only want what's best for you, Hikari! To keep you from ever having to come face to face with danger! To never have to use a weapon! This is all to protect you!"

"You're lying!" Hikari said, angrily stomping her foot against the table now, her teacup now spilling and tipping over.

"Hikari-chan!" her father said, his face now with his own anger, standing up alongside her mother.

Hikari stared bitterly at her two parents before her, who never tried to see her side, no matter how many times she tried to reason. Of course, losing her temper never helped either.

"Admit it," she said in a calmer voice, picking her teacup and setting it upright. "You're not worried about protecting me. You're worried that I'll leave. Just like he did." She looked at her parents again, the governor and his wife, their faces fallen in shock. They looked as though they feared the sound of the name that Hikari would dare to utter.

But, she didn't say anything else, and turned away from the table walking through the balcony to return inside. She pushed the large doors of her bedroom and burst inside, startling the maids who were dusting her bedpost. She bowed to them in apology, then sat at the large window where she could stare at the ships coming and going, the waves crashing along the shore.

Hikari wished she could do what her parents told her not to. She wished she could fight with a sword, maybe run away with the sword boy and escape on one of the ships that she always watched through her window. Maybe she really wanted to leave.

But what she wished for the most was to see one of those ships to arrive just for her, and to see her brother step onto the dock, with his hands on his hips in his garb, loose and frayed, a sword hanging at the hilt on his belt, the odd large tight spectacles over his big brown hair and his big grin to greet her. Her brother, captain of the DoreDore Crew, the most notorious name heard around Taiyou and the surrounding port cities.

Her brother, Taichi, the pirate.

* * *

The pirate captain himself lay on his back in the middle of the main deck of his ship, with his hands resting behind his head and one leg over his knee. He stared up at the same pillowy-clouded sky, feeling the calm rocking of the ship floating against the water. Only sounds of the watery crashes and the seagulls flying around the sails graced his ears.

That, and the growling of his stomach. Taichi let out a loud groan.

"I'm sooo hungryyyy," he moaned. Then he looked up at toward the crow's nest at the top of the ship, knowing his shipmate up there might have felt the same way. "Yamato! Any sight of land?"

Taichi waited for a response, only to hear silence.

"Hey, Yamato!" he said a little louder. "YAMATO!"

He groaned again, after hearing no words shouted back to him.

"Always sleeping on the job," he muttered with annoyance, getting up from his spot. His stomach continued to growl and he decided his next plan of action was to complain to the crew chef. Walking to the side of the deck, he climbed down the ladder into the dining area where new, odd sounds reached his ears, coming from the kitchen. It was a girlish squeal, followed by a giggle, and a deeper voice responding.

"You're so  _bad,_ " Taichi heard her say. "You're going to make me burn the fish…"

Taichi heard his chef with her scolding words, but her tone sounded more playful, and her giggles were joined by another.

"Yamato,  _stop,_ you're making me blush…"

Yamato?

"I can't help it, Mimi, you're just so irresistible…"

Taichi walked through the dining room and walked directly into the kitchen. The fish was frying on the stove, but the chef's attention was far from it. When Taichi realized what was happening, he crossed his arms over his chest with a grimace. The giggly chef was in the arms of the blond, burly swordsman who had ditched his watchman duties, and was now kissing her wherever his lips could find.

" _What the hell is the meaning of this?!"_ Taichi said, his voice raised. Yamato jumped and Mimi yelped, realizing Taichi had been standing there. "How am I supposed to run my ship with half my crew getting frisky?!" Yamato held onto Mimi as she held him back, her head turned to Taichi, but her long, light brown hair fallen over her face to hide her frightened stare.

"Relax, cap," said Yamato. "I was up at the nest all day long. We got rid of the Marines on our tail ages ago, and I doubt that we're going to see land anytime soon."

"Okay, fine," said Taichi irritably. "Just tell me when you're coming or going. You can't leave me talking to myself like a crazy person. And as for you, Mimi -"

Mimi turned herself around, though she went behind Yamato when she faced Taichi.

"I can't function without any food in me!" he said.

Mimi stared at him.

"Dinner will be served when it's ready," she said, suddenly with defiance.

Taichi scowled, then turned to climb back up to the deck.

"Pfft, it's not like he can function at all sometimes," said Yamato as Mimi moved to the fish that was now crisping in the pan.

"Hmph. I might as well should have burned the fish on purpose."

Yamato moved to wrap himself from behind Mimi again, his lips finding their way to her cheek. "Then you and I would smell like burned fish."

Mimi giggled some more. "How am I going to ever cook with you around?"

"That's a good question…" he said, ready to kiss her lips this time, but she turned around to stop him.

"Really, Yamato," she said, her face now serious, and her voice lower and more demanding. "Let me cook. Go upstairs."

"Oh, okay…"

Dumbfounded, Yamato climbed up the ladder to the main deck, joining his disgruntled captain, who was now observing two of their other ship mates. One was their second shortest - only slightly taller than Mimi - wearing an orange shirt and a purple bandana over his spiky red hair, who was rubbing the back of the other, who was tall and lanky, his loose attire in different shades of tan and blue, his dark bandana fallen down around his neck, and his blue hair, once neat when he first boarded the ship, now in disarray as he leaned himself over the outer edge of the boat, coughing sick into the water.

"How's our newest recruit, Doctor Kou?" Yamato asked the redhead.

"Not as well as we'd hoped," Koushiro replied. "I gave him some medication for the motion sickness, but it's just taking a while for it to kick in."

Yamato wore an expression mixed with skepticism and concern. "It's already the third day since he came aboard. Are we sure he can handle this?"

"Eh, give him time," said Taichi, walking over to the wretching ship mate, rubbing his back. "He'll get used to the sea in no time. Isn't that right, Jou?"

"What was I thinking?!" Jou asked wearily, now slumping down to sit against the edge of the deck.

They found Jou at the seafaring town of Kurosu, where Yamato had dueled with another swordsman for gold outside a bar on Taichi's dare. The barkeep dubbed Yamato a loser, but Jou bravely jumped into the scene, confessing to everyone who had eyes and ears that he saw the other swordsman cheating. Yamato and Taichi walked away with new gold, but not before witnessing a group of unhappy pirates circling Jou on the way back to the ship. With Taichi's remarkable strength and Yamato's masterful sword skills, the pair brawled with ease, and left Kurosu with a new crew member as well.

Koushiro kneeled beside the new crew member, holding his hand to his forehead. "You're a little clammy," he said. "Just have some water and sit for a while."

Jou sighed. "If we heated up the water and added some ginger, my stomach might feel a little more at ease."

"Ah, excellent idea, Jou! Not bad for my pirate doctor apprentice!"

Taichi grinned, holding a thumbs up, and Jou closed his eyes with another sigh.

Koushiro went down to the kitchen and returned with a mug with warm water and ginger for Jou, and soon, as the sun began to make its way down, Mimi appeared from the entryway to the dining room, announcing that dinner was finally ready.

The table was already set with the feast of fried fish, fruit and steamed vegetables, and the boys climbed down to the dining area, ready to consume their meal. Taichi beat everyone to the table, already on his second serving while the others barely chomped through their firsts. Mimi stood in front of the table, proudly looking on with her hands on her hips over her cute, light pink apron. As the boys called out to Mimi with their praises of her delicious food, she wore a smug smile, flicking her hair back, responding with, "Oh, it was nothing." She joined them in their meal and jovial conversations soon after.

When the plates were completely cleared, Taichi watched his mates sit and talk amongst themselves. Koushiro and Jou were deep in conversation about medicinal berries, while Mimi happily chatted with Yamato as she sat on his lap. With his hunger satisfied and heart content with the sight, he quietly made his way to the deck, heading towards the ship's bow. He placed his hand on a mast pole and adjusted the specs above his head with the other, watching the sky darken as it bid farewell to the sun setting into the horizon.

Another day gone, another day awaited him. New land to discover, new ways to escape from the Marines. New enemies to face, new treasure to find. Taichi had no idea what the new day would bring, and he reveled in the thrill of the unknown.

* * *

Night fell over the ship of the DoreDore crew, and all members retired to their quarters near the bow of the ship. The anchor sunk below to steady the ship, and the winds and waters were calm enough for an easy night's rest.

None of the crew heard the small boat dock on one side of the ship, nor did they hear the whoosh of a rope and steel claw hook onto the deck's edge. Quietly, the owner of the rope pulled and climbed until she reached the deck, both feet landing on the wooden flooring with a light thud.

It was enough for Mimi to open her eyes. She had fallen asleep in her bed with Yamato, his bare chest on top of her as she heard him inhale with a soft snore. Turning her head over to the window, she saw the silhouette of a womanly figure, tightly clothed, her head wrapped in a bandana but her curls flipping outward. The young woman stopped her stealthy movement, her amber eyes catching sight of Mimi's. Mimi only stared, immediately recognizing her as she winked before continuing on.

The young woman slid from the crew's quarters on one end to the captain's quarters on the other. There, she looked through the window for a view of the captain, his arms and legs sprawled across his bed as he lay on his back, his eyes closed, and his chest rising and falling slowly. She watched him for a few moments, and at one point, he took a deep breath, causing her to watch more closely. Then, he exhaled a sigh, turned to his side with a few smacks of his lips before the slow breathing returned.

A smirk appeared on one side of her lips, knowing he was in deep sleep. Turning from the window, she darted to the corner of the ship and ran her hands against the wooden floor until she felt a large handle. She lifted the handle which revealed an entryway - the entryway to the captain's gold. Feeling victorious, she crawled into the stairway below the floor board, closing the wooden lift above her, and made her way to the gold that would soon belong to her.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of the wooden hatch falling prompted Taichi to sit up from his bed. Looking around his room and through the window view of the deck, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. The only movement came from the dim flame of the candle melting halfway through on his bedside, the moonlight shining over the boat, and the boat floating along the calm sea.

Still, something felt different. He crawled out of bed with a sinking suspicion that something out of the ordinary was happening, and he needed to figure it out. Sheathing his knife into his belt, he stepped out onto the deck. Across the way, he saw that the lights were off, which meant all of his crew was fast asleep. He surveyed the rest of the deck all the way around, until he spotted an odd, steel wire, curved against the side of his ship. Walking closer to it, he noticed the rope that lead down to a smaller boat.

Sora.

He knew what she was after. He turned to the corner with the hidden hatch, and walked over to it. He slowly raised and lowered the lift above him, and when he climbed down for his feet to reach the top of the steps, he realized his suspicion correct when he noticed the wooden torch on the wall was already lit.

Quietly, he tiptoed down the stairs to his stores, the only place he knew he'd find her. At the bottom of the steps, he saw the wooden door left slightly ajar-typical for Sora to do. He could imagine her already, crouched at the bottom of the pile, pilfering for the shiniest, fanciest treasures. The thought annoyed him, constantly having to shoo her away from his gold like she was a seagull trying to take the apples he ate on the main deck.

At the same time, he felt an imminent triumph, knowing that she had nowhere else to escape besides the wooden door, and he could capture her the moment he opened it-

"Aha!" cried Taichi, his knife held up in his stance as he burst through the door and into the room, which, to his bewilderment, was only full of his gold.

Taichi lowered his knife, scanning the room from left to right. That Sora was a sneaky one, and he wasn't going to let her out of his sight this time. He walked to every corner, nook, and cranny in the room that she might have fit herself into. He looked up at the ceiling and wooden boards up top, and even dug himself into one of the larger piles in case she decided to hide there.

"Baka," came a voice, muffled from where he sat. When he crawled out from underneath the pile, there Sora was, right next to him, crouched at the bottom of the pile, showing no concern as she decided which piece of gold she should put into the pouch in her hand.

Taichi jumped onto his feet. "What did I tell you about sneaking into my stores?!" he yelled angrily, pointing his finger at her.

"Not to do it, obviously," she replied, observing an emerald gem in her hand, then throwing it back into the piles. "But, you should know better than trying to tell a well-known thief what to do.

"We had an agreement," Taichi said, still holding his knife. Sora paid no mind, adding a few pearls and gold into her pouch and tightening the string around its top. Then she got up and turned toward the door, but Taichi stood in front of her. "Drop the gold. I'm not messing around, Sora."

"Now, now, Taichi, no need to be so tense," she said, stepping closer to him. She looked up at him, his eyes now averted as she put her hand to his cheek. "I thought you'd be happy to see me again, after all these months."

"I was wondering where you disappeared to."

"Let's just say, I went into hiding. I hope you aren't mad about that."

Her hand trailed down to the odd spectacles hung around his neck, then down his chest, and his eyes met hers again. Sora wondered, as her hand moved down to his forearm, if she could get Taichi to drop the knife first.

"You're looking well, Sora," he said, drawing closer to her. Her eyes were bright against her dark bandana over her fiery hair, her clothing dark though tight enough to show her shapely figure. "Last time I saw you, you looked..."

Suddenly, Taichi tightened his grip on his knife, ready to attack. Sora was quicker, jumping backward and pulling out her dagger, pointed at his neck.

"...sickly," he finished, his brown eyes narrowing at her.

"So, you  _are_  mad," she said. "I thought this would be fun for you, Goggle Boy."

"I won this treasure, fair and square! We made a promise not to steal from each other!"

Sora scoffed. " _Fair and square?_  I'm just here to take back what's mine! You had tricks up your sleeve!"

Taichi stepped forward. "Don't tell me I've been the only one playing dirty!"

"You always get what you want!" Sora stepped closer, and Taichi threw his hands up in exasperation.

"I don't get it, Sora, you already have all the treasure you want in the world. Why do you keep coming after me?"

Sora's face softened then, and her lips formed a smile. She looked down at her little pouch full of gold, then tossed it up between them for both of them to see. "I guess I just want what I can't have."

Taichi realized how close their faces were then, and suddenly, he looked away feeling flustered, hoping she didn't catch the sight at all.

"You would be wise to leave my ship," he muttered, and Sora sighed as she walked past the wooden door.

"Fine, I'll leave," she said, and Taichi heard the sound of jingling, as though she dropped her pouch back to where his gold belonged. "I'll get out of your hair. Ha, hope I find my way out. You do have a lot of it."

"Piss off, Sora."

Taichi followed Sora out of the treasure room and watched her walk up the steps. But then, she stopped, and started walking backwards. It wasn't until Taichi saw a sword pointed at her by his shirtless blond swordsman when he realized why.

"You might take advantage of the captain with your wiles, but I can see right through you," Yamato said when he and Sora reached the bottom of the steps. "Empty your pockets."

"I have no pockets to empty," Sora said. "I didn't take anything."

"I don't believe you."

Taichi approached the two as they stared each other down.

"Yamato, lower your sword," he said. "She's telling the truth."

"Hmph." Yamato returned his sword to its sheath. "Of course, you'd go soft on her, captain."

Taichi crossed his arms. "What's  _that_ supposed to mean?"

"How many times has she snuck onto this ship,  _your ship,_  under  _your_ watch, and left with our gold?"

"I'm standing right here, you know," added Sora.

Taichi uncrossed his arms, looking appalled. "I'm only standing watch because you're the one who should be, but all you do is fool around with Mimi!"

"Guys..."

"And all  _you_ do is empty all of our food stock and leave nothing for the rest of us to eat!" Yamato retorted. "It drives Mimi insane!"

" _GUYS_."

Suddenly, a rush of footsteps resounded above them. The three of them looked up. Taichi realized the door lift was left open.

"Did the others follow you here, Yamato?" Taichi asked in a hush.

"No, they were asleep when I got out of bed," he responded quietly.

" _Drat_ ," said Sora, and Yamato and Taichi turned to her. "It must be the Yoko Gang. They've been after me."

Taichi stared at her. "You didn't think to lose them when tracking me down?"

"Hey, I was furious when you left me stranded the last time. Maybe I was too busy concentrating on following you."

"Oh, so you're saying it's my fault they're here now?"

" _Yes!"_  hissed Sora, and even joined by Yamato.

"We know you're in there, Sora!" they heard from above.

" _Fine_ ," said Taichi with reluctance. "I'll head up. You two cover me."

Yamato handed him a sheathed sword from his belt, and Taichi saw three swords remaining. He looked at Yamato in confusion.

"How many swords do you have on you when you sleep?" Taichi asked.

"Enough," Yamato said.

Taichi grabbed the sword, latched it onto his belt, and walked up the steps. When he reached the main deck at the top, he found himself surrounded by a group of five bandits, some burly and some large, all with menacing stares.

"What brings you to trespass on my property so late in the night, boys?" Taichi asked.

"Cut the crap, lowlife," said a large one. "We're here for the girl. She stole our gold."

Taichi chuckled. "She's a thief. A good one at that. It's what she does."

A burly one growled while the others tightened their stances. "You bastard! Give her up already! We're going to punish her. Real good."

There was a sinister tone to their laughter, and Taichi twitched at the vulgar thought, but he kept his cool composure.

"I'll let her come out, but don't expect her to surrender willingly," he said.

"I heard you were looking for me?" Sora appeared behind Taichi, eyeing him as she passed him by. The bandits raised their swords as soon as she appeared.

"Give us our gold back, you wench!" said the burly one.

" _Your_ gold?" Sora laughed, twirling her dagger with her fingers as she paced around. "It wasn't yours to take, loves. Of course, I took it from you, but it's gone. Gave it to someone who deserves it."

The burly one growled again, drawing closer to her with a snarl. "You owe us."

Sora's eyes narrowed. "I owe you nothing."

She held up her dagger to block the strike of his sword, but she didn't see the large bandit behind her. He snuck towards her, lifting his sword, ready to strike against her back—

Taichi was quick to the draw, blocking the strike.

"You lay even a finger…" Taichi said in a low grumble.

"Aww, what's this?" said the large one with a cackle. "Sora's got an admirer? No wonder she ended up here."

"Get off my ship."

"Not without a fight!" said the third bandit, jumping towards Sora and Taichi, only to be struck down by Yamato. Sora followed suit, lifting her knee to the burly one's groin and pushing him away from her.

Taichi kicked the large bandit away, only to be met by swinging swords of two more bandits. He dodged them both, slashing at one but missed, then whirled around to throw his fist at the other's face. As the bandit he tried to swing at lurched at Taichi, Yamato appeared out of nowhere, blocking the bandit's sword with his.

"Two against one is never a fair duel," said Yamato to the bandit, drawing back and holding his sword at its hilt. In the corner of his eye, he noticed another bandit behind him, unwilling to back down.

"I guess tonight just isn't your night, then," said the other bandit, both of them inching their way towards him.

Yamato smirked, drawing another sword from his belt. "We'll see about that."

Meanwhile, Sora brought her fight to the top of the forecastle, swiveling her dagger at the burly bandit while jumping back from his attacks. He wasn't a very clever fighter, she figured, and she noticed him staring at the side of her waist, where she had pocketed some gold. Sora had a plan, then, and when the burly bandit turned around, she disappeared from his view.

Cautiously, he moved around the forecastle, anticipating for her to appear, but then, he saw it. Right in the middle of the floor, a pile of shiny gold. Awestruck by the sight, he ran to it and bent down, greedily cupping the treasure in his hands.

That was the moment he felt a shadow loom from behind him. Just as he turned to see what it was, Sora struck him upside the head with a steel rod, knocking him unconscious. As she dragged him to the side, she heard a "Psst!" nearby. Turning her head, she saw Koushiro appear into view, holding some rope to bind the bandit's arms and legs.

"I'll take it from here," he said with a grin.

Sora held her hand up with a salute to Koushiro, then looked over to Yamato and Taichi on the main deck, swords still clanging against the other bandits. The two bandits fighting Yamato were getting more frustrated as he jumped and dodged at every hit, as though he choreographed every move to make them miss each time. With anger getting to the best of him, one of the bandits lost his temper and ran towards Yamato with an angry yell, holding his sword up in the air. Yamato, with his head down, struck at the bandit as he passed him by, the bandit dropping to the floor. But, just as Yamato lifted his head up, the other bandit made his move. Yamato opened his eyes, throwing his sword in front of him just in time, but feeling a small cut graze his cheek.

"I got too cocky…" Yamato said, scoffing to himself.

"I can't believe I didn't recognize this before," said the bandit with the sword against Yamato's. "The multi-wielding swordsman, the captain with the big hair and the odd-shaped spectacles above his head. I wouldn't be surprised if I ran into the red-headed doctor and the most beautiful cook across the sea."

"What of it?" Yamato asked with his teeth clenched.

"You're the crew that everyone's after, the one the marines are up in arms about, the one that all the other pirates want to destroy! Looks like we don't need Sora's gold after all, for we've come aboard the ship with the largest bounty known to pirate-kind!"

"That's right," said Yamato, seeing the bandit in front of him now distracted by laughter. He pushed the bandit, catching him off guard before jabbing him against his stomach with the hilt of his sword, making him collapse to his knees. "We're the DoreDore Crew. And if you recognized us sooner, you should've known better than to board this ship." Before the bandit knew it, Yamato had knocked him out with a hit against his head.

Taichi's large opponent wasn't too smart as he was strong. The bandit ran towards him and Taichi was thrown back, caught underneath. He used the strength of his legs to throw the bandit off of him, but as the bandit threw his sword up against his, Taichi found himself walking backward, towards the side of the ship. He struggled forward but kept walking back. Any further, and he would be thrown overboard.

"It's over for you now, DoreDore Captain," said the bandit with his sinister howl. Taichi gathered his strength to throw him back, just as he stepped closer to the ledge, when a rush of wind brushed against him, and the large bandit disappeared in front of him. The bandit had been thrown to the other side of the deck, and it was now Sora in front of Taichi, unsteadily swinging on a rope from the top of the mast.

Before she swung herself down to crash onto the floor, Taichi caught her by the waist. Her eyes were closed tightly with apprehension, but when she realized she had stopped, she let go of the rope and she opened her eyes to realize she was staring into his dark brown eyes once again.

"Stealing my treasure,  _and_ my thunder? Come on, Sora," Taichi said with a soft smile. She smiled back, finding herself drawing closer to his face.

A loud cry was heard just then, and Taichi and Sora turned to see that there was one more bandit, the fifth one, charging toward them. Yamato jumped up and ran toward him, but all of them knew he wouldn't make it in time. Taichi jumped forward and covered Sora as they both fell, waiting for a slash.

The slash never happened—only another scream from the bandit, followed by a small explosion. Taichi lifted himself up, staring at Sora with wide eyes and confusion. They both got up to see Yamato getting up, looking just as confused as the fifth bandit lay on the floor, unconscious. It was that moment when they saw movement from the front of the crew's quarters and realized Jou emerged from behind the crates, his hands shaking as he grasped onto a slingshot.

"No way…" said Taichi with astonishment.

"Yay! He did it!" Mimi cried with excitement, jumping up from behind the crates, her hands in the air.

"I can't hold a sword, so that's why I have this slingshot," said Jou, laughing nervously. "I make my own ammo. I just, thought I'd never had to use it."

"He's full of surprises, this one," said Yamato, shaking his head with a smile. Taichi looked to Sora, and they both laughed, knowing another pirate scuffle had come and gone, and they were all safe, for the time being.


	3. Chapter 3

Long after the sun set in Taiyou town, a lean, young man appeared from inside the blacksmith shop at the end of the city centre row, closing the door and locking it as he exited. He wore a loose, long-sleeved cotton shirt collared shirt under a belted vest that always had two swords attached. It was an unusual time to close, anyway, as the townsfolk, marines, and other visitors disappeared from the storefronts by then, and converged into the part of town with the bars and other nightlife, but there were always the straggling customers, and he usually had nothing better to do.

As he turned the hanging wooden 'open' sign to 'closed' on the door, he heard a young woman's voice call out to him.

"Takeru!"

The young man turned to the hilly pathway from the shop, seeing the young woman running to him.

Hikari.

Since she was far enough, he moved to the window at the store front and used the glare from the light of the lamp post to check his reflection, quickly picking at his short, blond hair to make it look the least presentable. Then, he walked down the short steps from the shop, meeting her at the bottom as she caught her breath.

"I hope I didn't make you wait too long," she said, bending down to catch her breath.

"No worries - I just closed up shop, anyway," he said with a smile.

He would have waited for her as long as he could manage.

Takeru observed Hikari as she stood up. They dressed almost as twins, even down to the pants and shoes, and one sword at her belt. He had helped her buy clothing that wasn't "stuffy," as she called it - lighter clothing she wanted for her to run and move around easier. Her hair was also wrapped and twisted up in a cloth, which left her unrecognizable to anyone who didn't give her a closer look. He found it unusual to see her in anything other than a big, fancy dress. She dressed like an ordinary person walking the streets of Taiyou, where no one would even bat an eye at her. But to him, she was beautiful, no matter how she dressed.

"Oh, Takeru, hang on," she said, quickly leaning forward and tiptoeing as she picked at one part of his hair to straighten it. "There we go. Let's go, then, shall we?"

She smiled and turned to head further into town. He followed behind, feeling the heat rush onto his cheeks. Then, he noticed she was walking faster, almost skipping about, and if he stayed frozen any longer, she'd leave him behind.

"Hikari! Wait up!" Takeru said, running after Hikari as she laughed. She let him catch up to her, and he noticed her bright, cheerful smile. He knew that the brighter her smile, the harder the day had been. Linking his elbow with hers, he smiled back. "Wanna dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she said, clutching his arm. Together, they walked quickly to Sailor's Row, the street lined with bars, and made for the Kagayaku, the bar that had the loudest cheers. As Takeru was about to enter first, a large woman forced her way out, causing him to step back, Hikari right behind him.

"We just wanna dance, Madame," said Takeru.

The large woman made a disgusted face and scoffed with her hands on her hips. "Why, you two are mere babes out of a stork's basket! I cannot let you in!"

Hikari placed her hands on Takeru's shoulder and rested her chin on them. They exchanged looks, then looked back at the woman together as they raised their eyebrows, waiting until her hard-nosed expression broke into hearty laughter.

"Come on in, my little darlings!" she said, holding out her hand and opening the swinging doors for them.

As they entered, they found the floor of the bar cleared with the tables and chairs against the walls. People had gathered together with their beer mugs, clapping and tapping their feet along to the guitar and tambourine. A few men were hopping along, women held their skirts to move their feet. Feeling the urge and seeing Hikari's eyes light up, Takeru grabbed her hand and ran toward the center.

The surrounding crowd cheered as they watched the two of them skipping to the beat. They faced each other and took each others' hands as they danced, hopping around in a circle. Takeru then lifted her hands up, letting Hikari twirl closer to him until their faces were only inches apart. His bright blue eyes locked onto her glistening brown ones, and he felt his cheeks warming again, only this time, he felt confident enough for one side of his lips to curl. Hikari's face formed a tinge of pink as she smiled back, and she twirled away, both of them now giggling as they held each other's hands at arms' distance.

Takeru danced with Hikari for a while longer, when more people joined in. When the music stopped, the chatter and drinking continued, but they stayed only a little while before Hikari decided she needed to head back home before it got too late.

It must have been past midnight when they left the bar. Neither of them drank, but the food definitely satisfied their stomachs.

"I should get the house cook to serve fish and chips," Hikari said.

"Now, now," Takeru said. "What would your parents think?"

"' _We did not raise you to eat such commoner garbage!'"_  she said, in a higher tone that stopped Takeru from stepping further to laugh uncontrollably.

"I wish I wasn't born a governor's daughter," she said then, back to her normal voice, but more somber.

"Hey, now, don't say things like that," he said, taking her hand as her eyes looked to the ground. "We can't control how we were born. We can only control who we are, and what we become."

A clanging sound nearby reached Takeru's ears then, and he looked around, realizing they were the only two standing in the empty street, though he noticed something moving, glinting, just behind the corner of a building.

"What is it, Takeru?" Hikari asked, and he stepped forward cautiously, gently taking hold of her wrist.

"Stay close to me," Takeru replied. Slowly, he inched closer to that building, suspecting someone was there, waiting for the right moment to jump out and attack. He knew this town was always under watch, and there hadn't been one lurking around in years, but he couldn't take his chances. When he got closer, his heart rate increased, and he moved his free hand to the hilt of his sword-

Before he could even draw it, the suspicious person appeared before him - an older man dragging his feet, eyes drooping as he raised his beer mug over his head to taste the liquid to its very last drop. Somehow, the old man lost balance, and fell to the ground in front of Takeru and Hikaru. They shared a look again, this time with nervous laughter.

After sitting the poor, old man up against the wall of the building, the two continued walking, and Hikari tugged Takeru's sleeve. "You seemed serious back there. Who did you think that was?"

Takeru didn't want to tell her, not when it would ruin the mood. He thought that if he had drawn his sword, another sword would meet it, and the other wielder would have the typical, ragged clothing of their kind, smelly and unclean, bandana over their head, and a crooked smile full of nothing but malice and wrongdoing.

He thought he would be face-to-face with a pirate.

"No one," Takeru said, trying to keep his cool. Hikari didn't buy this, however, and could sense something started troubling him then. Before more words were exchanged, Takeru fell to the cobble stoned ground on his bottom, and Hikari quickly caught sight of a group of young men passing right by them, all in short-sleeved, white fitted shirts and matching pants, with blue lines across their outfits.

"Hey, what the hell is your problem?" she asked loudly, glaring at the group of Marines before kneeling down to Takeru, who winced as he massaged his shoulder.

"Pfft," said one of them as they all stopped. He emerged in front of the group with a smug smile. Hikari's eyes narrowed as she recognized his short, spiky, burgundy hair and tanned skin. "It's lowlifes like you who are the problem. Maybe you need to watch where you're going."

"And maybe  _you_ need to watch how you talk to the townsfolk around here!" Hikari snapped back. "Everyone looks to you as the protectors of this town!"

The burgundy-head looked to his group who sneered at her comment. Hikari and Takeru were now standing, and Hikari heard a clink of a sword. She held her arm out in front of Takeru, knowing his hand was on his sword, ready to swing, but she wanted him to stand down.

"Well, isn't that something? Maybe you  _'townsfolk'_  should bow down to us, seeing as all we see is trash anyway. Go ahead. Bow down. I'd appreciate it, too, if you called me,  _'sir.'_ "

Hikari felt an angry twitch over her brow, and was surprised, a little amused that he was too stupid to recognize her.

"Take back what you said, idiot," she said. "You'd be wise to remember what you should be calling me." She approached the boastful marine and threw off the cloth from her hair, revealing her long, flowing brown locks. From that moment, he registered her hair, her face, and let out a gasp along with the rest of the marines.

"Lady Hikari!" he said, to his horrified shock.

"Officer Motomiya," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Daisuke."

"I - I had no idea - I… I…You're looking  _really_ pretty - "

Hikari stepped closer and closer to him, her eyes fiery with anger, Daisuke appearing to shrink the closer she got.

" _Apologize_. To Takeru, especially. Or else, I'll be sure my father  _and yours_ hear about this tomorrow night. You know. At our dinner."

Her smile was sweet, but Daisuke got the hint.

"I'm sorry-" Daisuke looked behind to his group, and they all bowed together. "We're sorry, Lady Hikari. Sorry, Takeru."

Hikari watched with crossed arms as the Marines walked away with heads hanging low - Daisuke's the lowest, and Takeru placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm guessing you knew him?" he asked, and she threw her hands in the air.

"' _Oh, you'll get along nicely,'"_  Hikari said with her higher pitched mocking voice, then immediately going back to her normal in a rage, stepping away from Takeru. "My mother doesn't understand me at all! Me, marry a  _marine_?! I'd rather marry a pirate!"

The thought insulted Takeru, but he couldn't help but feel a hurt by the statement.

"No chance for the blacksmith, then, huh?" he said, his head looking down, his feet kicking at the ground, but he didn't mean to say it aloud. As soon as he realized, he looked up to see her staring at him with wonder, her raised arms now dropped to her sides.

Takeru had never told Hikari how he felt about her. He kept his crush to himself, even as he trained her how to handle a sword, and as he snuck her into town with him, finding joy in everything they did. But he knew she was too good for him. A guy like him wouldn't stand a chance.

But as she leaned against him for her lips to meet his cheek, he started to think differently.

"A governor's daughter and a blacksmith…" she thought aloud to him with a smile. "I should've thought of that before."

When they parted, Hikari broke into a run, but he could see her slow down to skip along the cobblestone, and he could hear echoes of her laughter as she went away to the grassy hill back to her mansion.

* * *

When morning broke and the sun had risen into the sky, Taichi woke up to see his crew already at work on deck. Yamato provided melodies for the ship from his harmonica, and raised his hand from the top mast in greeting. Jou was pulling the rope adjusting some sails, with Sora nearby, talking to him. Taichi presumed that Koushiro was helping Mimi take care of breakfast.

Sora had stayed the night in the extra bedroom in the crew's quarters, after helping Taichi and the crew bind together the arms and legs of the Yoko gang as they all lay unconscious, and dropping them back into the boats they came in, letting them drift back onto the sea. She persisted that she didn't need to stay, but Mimi persuaded her to with warm blankets and a hearty breakfast before her next journey. But Taichi knew Sora would want to leave soon, as pirates never stayed in one place for very long.

After the hearty breakfast, everyone returned to their places on the deck, but Sora stopped Taichi before he headed to the wheel. Her look was serious.

"You better listen, Taichi, and you better listen good," she said. "You need to stop meddling into fights you shouldn't be meddling in."

"What's this about, Sora?" he asked. "Not the Yoko Gang? I know they were yours but they were on my ship-"

"No, that was still your fault. I'm talking about those pirates you messed with on Kurosu the other night."

"What, when we dueled for the gold?"

"They're from the Hagu Crew. It's their captain, Hagu. He's not the kind you want to mess with."

Taichi looked ahead toward the sea, indifferent. "Aren't we all that way, Sora?"

"That's not what I mean. Hagu has eyes and ears from all over. He'll do whatever it takes to grind your gears and get under your skin."

"Big deal. How many pirates have I pissed off in the last few years? Everyone wants me as bad as the Marines do. What's he going to do to me?"

"To you? Nothing. But he found out about the treasure, Taichi. The treasure hidden in Taiyou."

Taichi froze, turning to Sora.

"He's going to take it through any means," she said.

Emotions rising in his chest, Taichi turned around and walked across the deck, calling to his crew.

"We have get to Taiyou," he called. "Jou! Ready the sails!"

"Taichi!" Sora called, hurrying after him.

"Koushiro! Mimi! We need you up here! Yamato!"

"Yes, cap?" Yamato called from above.

"Make sure we have our swords polished and ready!"

"Taichi!" Sora repeated, finally getting him to stop and turn to her. "Taichi, you can't go back there. The city's always swarming with Marines. They'll arrest you the moment you dock."

"So why did you tell me all of this?"

"So that you  _don't_ go." Taichi noticed her eyes staring at him in concern. She looked too serious for him to crack a joke.

"I can't leave my parents and Hikari in trouble. Who knows what they'll do to me if they catch me, but I have to protect them, no matter what. Besides, there's a part of the island no one ever checks. We'll just dock the ship there, and sneak into town, somehow. Just have to figure out how to get there from here and make it in time."

Sora stared at him, knowing he had set a plan and a goal in motion. Taichi would never back down after that.

She sighed. "Very well. I've already got Jou to adjust your sails based on today's forecasted winds. They aren't too bad right now, but your ship is already headed to Taiyou as we speak. You'll arrive just before the next sundown."

Taichi stared back at her in awe.

"Join my crew," were his next words.

"I work alone," Sora replied without pause. Sora turned to walk across the deck to the side where here boat was docked, and it was now Taichi's turn to hurry after her.

"Think about it. You're the best navigator I know. You drew our maps, and other than Koushiro, my crew can barely work a compass."

"Then how the hell are any of you pirates?" Sora asked, now sitting on the side of the ship.

"Sora, I'm begging you. As captain of the most  _valuable_ crew," he started, now leaning closer to her. "You have a lot of gold. So do I. Imagine how much that amounts to. Besides…" he paused, and Sora noticed he was drawing ever closer, their noses nearly touching. "You and I both know… the thing I want most is more valuable than gold…"

Taichi was so close. Sora felt his breath against her lips, their eyes about to close, and her hand reaching his, but that was when her lips curled into a mischievous smile, and she drew back from him.

"You know I'm not one to share, Taichi." She met her hand with his with an item between, and enclosed his fingers on it. Without another word, she leapt over the side of the ship to land in the smaller one she arrived in. As she rowed herself away, she turned back to see Taichi's face, left speechless by her actions.

As his shock faded away, he looked down in his hand and opened it to see a golden medallion, which he recognized as one of the treasures he threw into his treasure room right after he stole it.

One of the treasures she stole from him last night.

Taichi then felt Yamato leaning his elbow on his shoulder.

"Y'know, any other thief, and you'd have me slit their throat before throwing them overboard," Yamato said, and Taichi looked at him from the corners of his eyes.

"Shut up, Yamato," Taichi said. "You know I'm not that ruthless."

"I know. I'm sure you'd be thinking it, though. But that's not my point."

Taichi turned to face him. "What  _is_ your point, then?"

"Let me put it this way. If anyone hurt Mimi, I would slit their throat in revenge. You get me?"

Taichi looked up, going over everything Yamato said. "I'm getting that  _you're_ the ruthless one. You just want to slit people's throats."

Yamato made a face at him. "You're hopeless."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooo, Takari~  
> The story's finally going somewhere, eh?  
> Please let me know what you think. :)  
> Thanks for reading up to this point!


	4. Chapter 4

As the sun set on the next day, the DoreDore ship approached a row of tiny isles ahead.

"Captain!" Yamato called from the top mast, peering through his brass telescope. "We're nearing the isles!"

"Aye! Heading starboard!" Taichi said steering the wheel. From his memory, the isles were a few miles off of the ports of Taiyou, and then the valley they would be able to dock unnoticed by veering to the left of them.

" _Caaaap_ …" said Yamato with a drawl.

"What?"

"We've got trouble." Yamato swung down with a rope, landing next to Taichi at the wheel. "One Marine ship. Docked right behind."

Taichi groaned. "That wasn't there before."

"Of course, it wasn't, not before our bounty hadn't gone through the roof."

Taichi stared at Yamato gravely. "It's only been a few years, Yama. To think, they've been waiting for me to come back for that long…" Then, he grinned, balling his fists against his hips. "Why don't I just waltz in and ask for my 'Welcome Home' celebration?"

He yelped in pain, as he felt a smack upside the back of his head. Mimi appeared with an angry look on her face.

"They'll hang you before they bake you a cake!" she said.

"Seriously, Cap," Yamato said. "I've got a better eye than most, but it won't be long until they spot us. What do we do?"

"We'll have to just face them head on," said Taichi. "They're still a ways away from the mainland, so we wouldn't be causing too much of a ruckus if we deal with them first."

"I'm ready," said Yamato.

"Good." Taichi turned to Mimi. "You ready?"

Mimi nodded.

"Kou? Jou?"

From behind where Taichi stood, Koushiro grinned and nodded, while Jou made a slight nod with a look of apprehension.

"Alright, gang." Taichi looked ahead, his face determined. "Let's get in position."

* * *

"Son of a devil…"

In the marine ship, an officer jumped up from looking into the telescope. The sergeant next to him turned his head to the officer, looking alert.

"What did you see, officer?" the sergeant asked.

"You better take a look a this, Sergent Ogre."

The sergeant motioned the officer to move out of the way to peer into the telescope. Other officers noticed the tense behavior and began to gather around the deck. The sergeant recognized the ship immediately.

"That's it, isn't it, Sarg?" the officer asked cautiously.

Pirate ships were easily recognizable. Most, like this one, had splinters and a few holes from battles past, but its otherwise smooth wooden build showed good workmanship, and that it was well-maintained. The sergeant lowered the eye of the telescope down to raise his view, stopping at the ship's "Jolly Roger" - there wasn't an image at all, and it wasn't black like the others - it was as blue as the clearest skies, tattered and worn, the top and bottom of the flag ripped and flowing like two strings against the wind.

"There's no mistaking it," said the sergeant. "That's the DoreDore ship. The devil boy has returned. We've got to stop him from reaching the mainland."

"Ready the cannons, sergeant?" another officer asked.

"Yes. It looks they're docking the ship on the other side of the isles, but we have to be prepared."

"Shall we send word to Chief Motomiya?"

"Not yet. We can handle this before they find out. Gentlemen!" The sergeant turned to see the group of eight officers, standing up straight with their right hands up in a salute. "Ready your weapons. We're about to pay a visit to an old friend."

"Sir, yes, sir!" they all shouted in unison.

It didn't take the sergeant and his officers very long to reach the DoreDore. As they approached closer, the sergeant waved his hand on his left, signaling one of the officers to raise a bullhorn to his mouth.

"Attention! Attention!" he shouted through the mouthpiece. "The Marines would like a word with the captain of this ship! We do not intend any harm!"

Just then, a wooden staircase appeared before them, the bottom falling onto the ground, leading straight to the ship.

"I find that hard to believe," shouted a womanly voice in response. The group looked up toward the edge of the ship where the staircase began, and stared in awe as a young woman appeared, wearing her simple, light pink dress, throwing her head back to flip her long, wavy tresses, and her hands balled into fists on her hips. Even as her face appeared annoyed, the Marines stood in their stupor as she glowed against the setting sun. "You have guns strapped on your arms and I see swords on your belts. You aren't fooling anyone. Drop them."

The officers began to slip their weapons to let them fall to the floor, but the sergeant held his hand out to stop them. "We are Marines, Miss," he replied with caution. "We always have to be armed and ready at a moment's notice."

Mimi walked down, step by step, all eyes remaining on her. She kept her glare on the sergeant, who returned a look of distrust of his own.

"Really? Even if it's a weak, fragile, beautiful girl like me?"

"Sergeant," whispered the officer next to him. "Maybe we should drop our weapons-"

"You forget who we're dealing with!" the sergeant hissed. "Men! Swords up!"

The men raised their swords on command as Mimi set her high heeled toes against the dirt. She scoffed in disgust. "Honestly! Where are your manners?!"

"Enough with your dirty tricks, Mimi!" the sergeant yelled as Mimi frowned. "We demand to speak to your captain at once!"

"My, my, aren't we being childish?" Mimi strutted her way towards him, her hand now behind her back, feeling the handle of her knife. The officers before her struggled to keep their swords up as they watched her hips move side to side. "Pirates, Marines, they're all just a bunch of boys, aren't they?"

She reached the sergeant, now standing face to face with him. After a long sigh, she looked him up and down, and then giggled, slowly stepping towards him. "Whatever you have to say to the captain, you can tell me…" Her lips formed a smile as she looked into his eyes. "Why don't we settle this right now?" she said. "Woman to man."

The sergeant smiled, but his eyes flickered. Mimi's did too, just as she threw up the knife above her face, the sharp edge blocking the sergeant's sword.

"Get me Taichi," he snarled at Mimi.  _"Now!"_

"You sure about that?" she asked, her sly smile still on her face.

"A weak, fragile knife for a weak, fragile woman… How foolish to think this would last for so long."

"I wasn't planning it to." Mimi's eyes narrowed. "Jou - Now!"

"Duck, Mimi!" Jou called out. As Mimi jumped away, Jou appeared from the wall of the ship, releasing two of his pellets from his slingshot. The pellets landed where Mimi just stood, causing an explosion that caused the sergeant and his officers to fly off their feet and collapse to the ground. It took the sergeant a few moments to sit up, his eyesight flashing and blurring, his breathing deterred by the smoke inhaled by the explosion. He heard himself hacking coughs while hearing the same from his officers as he struggled to sit up and get back on his feet.

As the ringing in his ears faded and the smoke cleared, Boyish laughter jarred his ears, and through the smoke, he saw the silhouettes of four figures standing above them on the boat. The dark blue haired, bespectacled man, aiming his slingshot for the next hit; the short redhead, sitting over the wall, his legs swinging on the edge, his eyes steadfast; the tall, burly blond, arms crossed with his swords on his belt as he leaned against a rope shroud; and, standing on top of the wall in the center of the three, the bushy, brown-haired captain with his hands on his hips, the boyish laughter echoing throughout the isles.

"You rang, Sarg?" Taichi called.

"Why, you…" The sergeant shuffled onto his feet. "Men! On your feet!"

Taichi laid the sheath of his sword onto the stairs and placed his feet on top, sliding down the staircase with it. Yamato followed suit, right behind him.

"I heard you wanted a word with me," Taichi said, resting the sheath against his shoulder. "But it really looks like you're just looking for a fight. You've already angered Yamato after what you did to Mimi."

The sergeant growled. "I'm warning you, Taichi. Turn back now. You're not welcome in Taiyou town."

"Aww, but  _Saarrg_ ," Tai whined. "Aren't you going to let me pay a visit to my dear old mother and father?"

"Not if you became a filthy, little pirate!" The sergeant drew his sword, and so did Taichi.

"Filthy?" Taichi turned his head to his shoulder and sniffed. "Am I really filthy?"

"You reek of sweat and the sea, captain!" Koushiro called from above, still sitting on the ledge.

Taichi paused. "Do you think Sora noticed?"

"Without a doubt, captain!" shouted Mimi, who had passed by, brushing her hand across Yamato's cheek as she ran back up the steps to the ship.

"Huh… maybe I need to bathe more…"

Growing impatient, the sergeant slashed his sword at Taichi, who quickly threw his sword up to block him.

"You think this is a game, Taichi?"

Taichi smirked at him.

"I'm a pirate. When is it not?"

The sergeant's fuse was blown, and he yelled in anger. "Attack!" he cried. Seven officers charged towards the ship past Taichi and the sergeant, but Yamato had already swung his sword, taking two officers down. He drew two more swords, holding his stance as three more officers surrounded him.

The two other officers made it to the wooden staircase. Jou slinged another pellet, but missed his aim as dirt blasted on empty ground.

"Gaah!" Jou cried out. "I missed! I can't believe I missed!"

"It's okay, Jou!" Koushiro said, leaping over the ledge and back onto the deck by Jou's side. "Just ready your next one!"

But before he could, Mimi let out a scream. The two officers reached the deck, and one had grabbed Mimi, his arm tugging at her neck.

"Hey!" Koushiro cried. "Let her go!"

"You! The dark-haired boy," said the other officer, stomping his way toward Jou. "That explosion was such a pain. We can make you pay for that."

Jou walked backwards in his fear as the officer advanced toward him.

"Y-you shouldn't even be aboard this ship!" Jou stammered. "T-this is tr-trespassing!"

"Oh,  _really_? And what do you call a bunch of pirates setting foot on a land they don't belong?"

"G-get off this ship…" Jou tried to shout, but only came out as a shivering whisper.

The officer responded with a taunting laugh, the other officer sneering as Mimi tried to struggle out of his arm.

"What did you say, puny boy?"

Jou clenched his fists and kept his eyes shut.

" _Get off this ship!"_ Jou cried.

"You heard him," came a sudden voice, low and dark.

"Who was that?" said the officer. Jou gasped, and both of the officers stopped and turned to look at Koushiro, whose shoulders were slumped but his whole body shaking, and his dark eyes lit up with a fiery red.

"Leave my friends alone," he said, his own voice raising with a growl. "Do as Jou said. You don't want to answer to me."

"Koushiro…" Jou said, backing away slowly. "Wh… what's going on?"

"Stand back, Jou," he said. "I'll explain later."

"You're even  _punier_!" the taunting officer said, looking to Koushiro. "You'll be sorry you messed with me." He ran toward Koushiro, his sword up in the air, ready to strike.

"I'm afraid you've got it backwards," said Koushiro, his fiery eyes flashing with anger. He charged toward the officer and got hold of his torso and threw him sideways for him to fly and crash into the barrels of liquor on top of the deck, knocking him unconscious.

Jou fell back landing on his bottom, staring in amazement.

"That was… captain's liquor…" he said.

"Let go of me!" Mimi cried, then bit down hard on the arm of the officer who still held her. She fell onto the ground as the officer yelped in pain. As she turned on the ground, Koushiro jumped toward the officer, pinning him to the ground. The officer howled as he threw Koushiro off of him, causing Koushiro shout in his pain.

"Watch out, Koushiro!" Mimi yelled, seeing the officer running towards him, but that was when Jou got up, and with no time to think, slinged a bullet toward the running officer, this time hitting him square in the chest, causing him to fall overboard, followed by an explosion.

"Koushiro!" Jou called, running over to him with Mimi. They both kneeled to a heaving Koushiro, his eyes wide and fiery. "I don't understand! What's happened to him?"

"He's not himself when he sees his friends in danger," Mimi explained, then she put her hand on Koushiro's shoulder, lowering her voice to a calm. "Koushiro…Look, Jou and I are okay. See? We're safe. You saved us."

His fiery stare was menacing as he looked towards Mimi and then Jou, but as he stared, the fire in his eyes waned to their normal color, and his breathing calmed.

"Jou… Mimi…" Koushiro said, now looking relieved. "Thank goodness you're alright."

Jou looked relieved as well. "I was worried there, buddy."

Koushiro smiled. "You're always worried, Jou," he said. Mimi giggled, nuzzling against Koushiro in her comfort.

"Oy! You three!" Taichi called from below. "Get down here with some rope!"

The fight with the sergeant was easier than Taichi expected. The sergeant's anger got the best of him, and Taichi knocked him out only after faking a swing and thrusting the hilt into his stomach.

Yamato had a more difficult time, however, fighting against three Marines. He took out one easily, although the other two put up a good fight, even as he fought with his three swords. One of them managed to trip him, and the next thing he knew, he blacked out, and awoke when Taichi stretched his hand out to him to help him up.

Mimi dropped the rope and rushed over the moment she saw Yamato sitting on the ground, rubbing his head.

"Oh, Yamato…" Mimi fell to his side, holding either side of his cheeks with her hands. "Tell me you're alright."

"I'm fine," he said, letting go of the pained side of his head, where he was hit before he was knocked out. That was where Mimi decided to smack him, making him shout. "Ow! Mimi?! What was that for?!"

"You are  _not_  fine!" she exclaimed frantically. You still have that cut on your cheek! And you were just knocked out!"

"And you just  _hit_  me again! Besides, the cut is barely showing anymore. Look."

She looked at the disappearing scar. "You're still hurt!"

Yamato stood up together with Mimi.

"Come on, Mimi. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"I just can't help worrying!"

"Hey…" Yamato cups his hand on her chin for her soft brown eyes to meet his blues. "I'm still the best swordsman there is. You've got nothing to worry about."

"Don't worry, Mimi," said Taichi, standing behind them. "Yamato has a higher chance of being killed by you than any Marine, or any other pirate, for that matter."

Taichi doubled over, clutching onto his stomach after Mimi elbowed him behind her, before letting Yamato lead her into his kiss.

The crew spent the rest of the time tying the unconscious group of Marines at their ankles, and their hands behind their backs, setting them in a campfire circle before heading back to the ship.

The moment Taichi stepped onto the deck, he collapsed to his knees and began to sulk.

"What is it, Cap?" Yamato asked.

"My… my liquor…"

Yamato saw the broken barrels with liquor splattered all over the deck. He could only fall to his knees to join Taichi in his mourning.

"You boys…" Mimi said, smacking her palm on her forehead.

After Taichi and Yamato recovered, Koushiro and Jou lifted the staircase back up, and Yamato turned the wheel to lift the anchor from the sea bottom. The ship continued left of the isles and toward the direction of the valley.

"Let's go, fellas," Taichi said. "And lady. All aboard to Taiyou town."

* * *

As the DoreDore departed the isles, the eighth officer appeared from behind a tree, where he had been hiding throughout the course of the swordfight. He surveyed the Sergeant and his seven officer mates, seeing them knocked out, cold. He knew what he had to do.

The officer ran back to the Marine ship, knowing he was the only one able to make the call. He dove into the captain's station, finding a telephone, and dialing a number.

"This is officer DMDV," he said into the receiver. "Send word to the chief! We have a code black! I repeat, code black! There are pirates heading straight to Taiyou! We need all Marines at their station-"

The officer heard an odd click, and noticed, as he held the receiver, the cord at the end was split and frayed. He heard a sneer, and as he turned, he discovered, to his dismay, that there were a handful of big, grimey men in front of him, all dressed in black tattered cloth, topped with black bandanas above their heads.

"Pirates, you say?" said the man in front of the group, the one with a gold chain around his neck, his crooked smile with a glinting gold tooth. "You ruined the fun. This was meant to be a surprise."

"What should we do with him, Hagu?" asked another behind him, the officer gasping and flailing his arms for a weapon.

Hagu smiled, holding up his pistol aimed directly at the officer. "We kill him."

* * *

The pistol fired, and Taichi turned his head toward the isles. He looked to Yamato, who was polishing a sword; Mimi had her arms wrapped around him from behind as she watched. Jou was funneling gunpowder into his pellets, and Koushiro looked up from his medicinal stock, staring at Taichi curiously.

"What's up, Captain?" he asked.

"Nothing," Taichi said. That was the sound of a pistol, that was certain. He didn't see any of the Marines wielding one, which led him to conclude that the shot was fired by the crew Sora told him was coming, the crew he intended to stop from stealing his family's gold.

"Hang on, Hikari," Taichi muttered under his breath. "I'm coming."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of my silly references:  
> **Sergeant Ogre  
> **Officer DMDV [DeMiDeVi]
> 
> And _why_ would Taichi have a sky blue raggedy rag thing for a "Jolly Roger".. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading, and thanks for the kudos!! Writing this fic has been so much fun. Please feel free to comment on what you think so far!


	5. Chapter 5

As night fell in Taiyou town, Hikari sat by the windowsill, staring out as the torches lit up along the ports and walkways by the seaside. Few boats docked at night, but she liked looking out for the rare few that did. Even though she could barely make out the ships themselves, she could tell they arrived from the dancing flames from the torches on the boats as they floated towards the docks.

"Lady Hikari!" said one of the maids rather sternly.

"Hmm?" Hikari sat up, turning her head away from the glass.

"I've gotten you all made up nearly five minutes ago!" said the maid with a scowl. "It's a wonder you don't want to sit in front of the vanity to make sure I did alright!"

"You always make me look beautiful," Hikari said with a wave. "Besides, I get so bored having to stare at myself the whole time. I'd rather watch what's happening out there."

"Pfft. I know what you really want," the maid grumbled, cleaning up the wardrobe that Hikari had just been taken out of. "You want your ol' pirate brother to come back. Everyone knows it."

"I'm glad they do…" Hikari stared back out the window again.

"Well, get a move on, milady. You know how your mother is whenever you're late."

"Alright, alright." Hikari got up and rushed to the vanity mirror for a quick look. Her maid did a wonderful job with her makeup, with her cheeks lightly blushed but rosy enough for Madame Yagami's liking, and her face with just a touch of powder - any more of it and Hikari would call herself a clown. Her light blue gown was pretty to look at, despite her distaste for it. Her sleeves and skirt still weighed down like curtains above a windowsill, and she felt like she might as well be a window herself with this dress on.

"Well?" asked the maid.

"It will do," Hikari replied, and she grinned at the maid who laughed gleefully back.

Soon, Hikari walked down the grand staircase in her light makeup and fashionable blue dress, with the governor and his wife standing on one side, both looking up at her with pride. On the other side stood Chief Motomiya and his son, Daisuke, who moments before had been slouching off to the side, unconcerned with anything around him. The moment the chief loudly cleared his throat, Daisuke stood up with a straight posture, and as he looked toward the staircase with the others, he felt his breath taken away as the sight of an angel in blue floated down the steps.

Hikari passed the chief and bent her knees in a curtsy as he nodded his head toward her. Daisuke fumbled the cap off from his head and put it towards his chest as he knelt down to bow, but as he looked up, he saw Hikari's eyes stare at him with contempt before she stood up and headed toward the dining room. Hikari wasn't looking forward to this dinner.

When the chief and his son were left in the foyer, the chief smacked his son upside his head, causing him to stand up straight once again. The chief looked down at him with narrowed eyes of a contempt much worse. As the chief turned and headed to the dining room, Daisuke sullenly followed behind. He wasn't looking forward to this dinner, either.

* * *

At last, the DoreDore ship found its docking point, and Taichi and Yamato hitched their swords to their belts. The crew agreed for Koushiro, Jou, and Mimi to stay on the ship to guard, although, Yamato couldn't leave without checking on Mimi, first. As the rest of the crew split off to their positions, Taichi slapped his odd spectacles over his forehead, and Yamato pulled Mimi by her waist, bringing her close to him.

"Are you going to be alright?" Yamato asked. Mimi stared into his eyes as blue and stormy as the ocean, and her heart melted at his worries.

"Of course, I am. I learned from the best swordsman there is," she answered, her caramel-colored eyes glistening, and Yamato leaned forward to meet her lips with a kiss.

Taichi opened his mouth, readying his words of snark as he looked on, but something in his heart pushed him enough to hold back, for that something in his heart wished for a lady to kiss of his own.

"What's this, Captain?" Mimi said suddenly, Yamato's arm still around her waist. "Is someone jealous of my handsome swordsman?"

"Ha!" Yamato said. "Captain Taichi, jealous of me? Not surprising."

"You wish," said Taichi, groaning, heading towards the exit. "Come on, Yamato. Let's move out."

Yamato rushed towards him. "Don't worry, Cap! I'm sure Sora's gonna come around to—"

Taichi stopped, and so did Yamato, as they noticed a smaller boat a few yards away from their ship, tied to a rock with a piece of rope as it floated and lightly bumped against the rocks. They exchanged a glance with no words, but both of them knew that Sora docked that boat, and was currently somewhere in town.

 _What is she doing here?_ Taichi wondered.

"Let's move out," Taichi repeated, and Yamato nodded and exited the ship. Before Taichi left, he reached from underneath his shirt for his gold medallion, just to make sure it was still there. Then, he put it back, and joined Yamato to head toward the mansion.

"You remember what they look like from Kurosu," Taichi told Yamato as they ran through rocky terrain and approached the city centre. "The Hagu Crew—the pirates in black."

"They'd be easy to spot in this town anyway," added Yamato. "They're pirates. We've been banned for years, thanks to you."

Taichi stopped Yamato at the foot of the hill, pointing to the mansion above, lit up from the outside and through the windows inside. "We'll have to get to the mansion before Hagu does."

Just then, they heard a scream, not from the top of the hill at the mansion, but on the opposite end, inside the city centre. Taichi and Yamato ran to the edge of the town and surveyed the area behind building corners, seeing people running around in a panic. In the midst of the panic, they saw them—a marine thrown against a window of a shop, a man knocked down from a sword, a woman screaming as her hair was being pulled back. All by the pirates in black.

Taichi knew that their objective was to make sure that the Hagu Crew never got to the gold, and that Hikari and his parents were safe. But if it was one thing Taichi disagreed with, it was pirates preying on the innocent. Taichi looked over to Yamato, exchanging nods as though they read each other's minds. Without a word, Taichi headed to the mansion alone, and Yamato went further into the streets.

"Enough of this!" shouted Yamato, and the streets cleared of frantic townspeople, leaving six pirates of various shapes and sizes in their black garb, wearing black bandanas to signify their allegiance. They all stayed in their spots, turning to see who dared interrupt their playful rioting.

"Well, well, well," said the skinniest pirate, recognizing the swordsman instantly and flashing a sinister grin. "Fancy seeing you here, Sword Boy Devil. Come to return our gold?"

Yamato found himself in the center of five pirates now circling him, the sixth still holding a young woman, her screams muffled by him covering her mouth.

"I'll ask nicely," said Yamato, his hands away from his swords, standing cautiously as the pirates slowly closed in on him. "Let the girl go. Leave this place. There's nothing for you here."

"If you're trying to stop us from getting the Yagami gold, you're too late. Hagu's already there now. You might also want to check your precious ship, too…"

All five drew their swords up, sneering at his request.

Yamato sighed. "You asked for it."

The next moment happened in slow motion for Yamato. As five swords raised to throw down on him, he drew two swords, one with each hand, and thrust them backward, stabbing the two pirates right behind him. Just as he pulled the swords from behind, he threw them up to make a cross, blocking the three swords in front of him, and pushed all three pirates to fall backward. As the pirates got back on their feet, Yamato swung his swords and intercepted each of their attacks, spinning and dodging himself between them, only feeling the whoosh of their attempts but seeing their clothes ripped from his blades.

The captive woman screamed as the three pirates continued their fight with Yamato. He drew his third sword and kept moving. He learned from his earlier fight with the marines three-to-one not to make the same mistake twice, but as he fought these pirates, he realized as the three charged forward together, that this was a more savage game.

Of course, Yamato already knew that. He jumped onto their swords directly aimed at him and somersaulted over them, slashing his swords as he landed behind them. The three pirates tumbled on the ground, their swords scattered at his feet.

"Don't do it!" the woman shrieked, and Yamato sheathed his two swords and ran after the remaining pirate. He held up his sword, ready to attack, but the pirate held the now whimpering woman in front of him, holding the blade to her neck, leaving no room for Yamato to disarm him.

"Let her go!" Yamato said again. The pirate smirked.

"You forgot to say please."

Yamato met the gaze of the woman, her eyes wide in fear. He looked down to her arms frozen at her sides, her heel as sharp as a needle. When he looked back up, he met her eyes again, hoping she understood.

And when she raised her feet to stomp on the pirate's foot, Yamato knew she did. It was the pirate's turn to scream as he threw his arms out, releasing the woman and giving way for Yamato to lunge forward and smile mischievously.

" _Please,"_  he said, before throwing a punch in his face and knocking him unconscious.

Yamato sheathed his remaining sword, then turned to the woman, who now stood in front of him, staring at him with wonder.

"You rescued me," she said. "...But, you're a pirate…"

A warm smile formed on Yamato's lips, and he held his hand on the back of his head in a meekly fashion. "We're not all the same, you know."

"I beg to differ."

A new voice entered the street, but Yamato recognized it instantly. He figured the whole section on this end of this street cleared out after the pirates arrived, but he didn't think to check the blacksmith shop, a shop he spent most of his childhood around. He turned to the shop, seeing no movement, though he wasn't fooled.

"I know you're there," Yamato said seriously.

The woman ran off, and Yamato looked to see someone emerge from blacksmith shop, walking down the steps and walking closer with his sword up in his steady hands.

"Don't tell me you're afraid to face me, Takeru," Yamato said.

"I've never been afraid of you," replied Takeru, his blue eyes glaring.  _"Nii-san."_

* * *

So far, the dinner had been a civil affair. The governor and his wife exchanged nods between light conversation and subtle laughter with the marine chief as Hikari and Daisuke sat quietly, practicing the dinner etiquette either of their parents would otherwise scold them for not doing. Hikari for one, noted how smoothly the dinner was progressing, although, given its underlying purpose, she was anticipating the moment her mother would steer into that particular topic.

It was as Hikari cut a piece of her pork chop with her fork and knife when her mother spoke up.

"Daisuke, Hikari, why aren't you speaking up? I imagine as you are similar in age that you would at least get along."

"That's quite an imagination you have there, Mother," Hikari quipped nonchalantly, then munching on the cube of her sliced pork. She could feel her mother's eyes flare up from the corner of her eyes.

However, she remained calm, laughing nervously toward the marine chief. "I'm sure you meant well, Hikari. You must have seen how polite and welcoming he was upon his arrival. Daisuke is such a nice young man. Wouldn't you agree?"

Hikari took a sip of the tea in front of her.

"He's trash, Mother."

The governor's eyes widened, and his wife shot an appalled look toward a careless Hikari. Daisuke's eyes remained lowered to his own pork chop, pretending that the plate was the only thing in the room with him.

"Yagami Hikari!" her mother said. "What an atrocious thing to say to our guest! Apologize!"

Unexpectedly, the marine chief chortled at the argument. Hikari's eyes averted to his direction in curiosity.

"There's no need, Madame," the chief replied. "If she calls my son 'trash', she must have very good reason."

Hikari can't help but feel surprised by the comment.

The chief went on. "He doesn't have the greatest test scores, and he has mediocre skills with weaponry. He's lucky he has the Motomiya name to earn him a spot in leadership."

" _Daad,"_  Daisuke muttered, now shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Madame Yagami stared quietly, although she remained shocked at this interesting turn in conversation herself.

"Well," Madame Yagami said. "I'm sure the Yagami name tied with Motomiya should be well-suited together."

Hikari slammed her teacup onto the table and stood up. "Are you kidding me?!" she exclaimed. "I will never associate myself with someone who looks down on everyone beneath him! He may have the name, but I've seen the way he treats the townsfolk. There is no chance  _in hell."_

Before Madame Yagami could respond, a man in a marine uniform burst through the main doors of the dining hall, beckoning the governor and the chief to approach him. The two men joined the man and huddled in a corner as the man whispered something in a harsh tone. Both the governor and the chief then turned to everyone else at the dining table.

"I'm afraid we must attend to urgent matters," the governor announced. Hikari, who remained standing as she watched the three men curiously, furrowed her brow at her father as he motioned the maids to close the curtains of the windows.

As one of the maids approached the window facing the docks, Hikari noticed the torches that normally lined the docks had blacked out, and the only flames lit up against the darkness floated midair from afar.

 _What kind of ship was docked there this time…?_  Hikari stepped away from her seat, finding herself walking toward the window. However, her view was obstructed before she took another step as a maid drew the curtains together quickly.

But as soon as the curtain shut, the large dining room doors burst open once again, although, both the governor and the marine chief had fallen back against the ground before they could exit. Madame Yagami let out a scream, and Hikari turned, drawing in a slow breath as her eyes widened when a group of men walked in, donned in tattered black cloth and bandanas. The tallest one wearing the gold chained necklace lifted his arm revealing the pistol in his hand, and before anyone could utter a word, he fired it toward the marine who had just entered the room beforehand—the marine who dropped to the floor, never to get up again.

* * *

A few moments before the intrusion, Taichi perched himself on a niche between a wall and some roofing near a window of the dining room. He caught a glimpse of his sister and cracked a smile, seeing how grown up she had become, but he also stifled a snicker as his eyes fell on the curtain style dress she absolutely loathed to wear.

Then his stare drifted to the two in the marine uniforms, one whom he recognized as Chief Motomiya, and the other—a younger fellow in burgundy hair, and hanging around his neck, Taichi eyed spectacles similar to the ones on his own head. He leaned forward for a closer look, but realized the burgundy haired boy's eyes were staring straight into his.

Taichi drew back to the wall quickly, but he doubted the boy would mention anything. The boy reminded him of himself sitting at that same dinner table once upon a time.

He slouched against the wall, chomping on an apple as he listened to the adults drone on and on about adult responsibilities and obligations. He perked up when he heard his mother try to force Hikari into conversation, but when he heard her bite back with sarcasm about imagination, he grinned to himself.

 _She got that from me, no doubt about it,_ he thought. He was inclined to listen to more entertainment, but that was when he felt a jab against his chest, and, to his increasing shock as he looked down, another jab.

_A seagull?! This late at night?!_

The seagull snapped its mouth toward Taichi's half-eaten apple. Annoyed, Taichi tried to shoo it away, though it responded by a furious flapping of its wings as it tried to attack him again.

"Get your own food!" Taichi hissed irritably as the seagull squawked. It took a while until Taichi finally gave up, handing him the rest of his apple just so it could fly away.

And then, he heard gunfire. The shot of a pistol, just like earlier on his ship, except it came from right inside the dining room.

Taichi narrowed his eyes when he looked back to the window to see the curtains shut. Luckily for him, there was a small opening between the curtains for him to see what was going on. The Hagu crew arrived, and his mind started running through plans on what to do next.

"Ahh, a fine old hag and a lovely lass," he heard a deep voice say with a low chuckle. Peering in closer, he saw the deep voice belonged to a black bandana-wearing pirate he didn't recognize, but he noted the necklace and the tooth in his smile, both glinting of gold.

_That must be Hagu._

"Hikari, no!"

Taichi heard the yell coming from the marine boy with the burgundy hair. He then saw a blur in the room, and realized it was Hikari, who jumped toward one of the henchmen and struck him with a dinner knife. Taichi couldn't believe his eyes as she whirled around another pirate and held the knife at his neck. Her look was menacing towards Hagu.

"Let go of my mother," she said intensely, "and I let this one go free."

"You shouldn't be so bold, lass," Hagu laughed again, stretching out a piece of rope, then bringing it to a terrified Madame Yagami who was tied down on the floor. Hagu lightly wrapped the rope around her neck, motioning the pull to choke.

Taichi's mother was screaming. He thought about kicking through the closed window to attack, but it was too risky.

"I know what you want!" Hikari said suddenly, and he heard a tinge of panic in her voice.

"No, Hikari!" Taichi whispered.

"You want the Yagami treasure. I can take you to it if you let my mother go."

"Dammit…"

Hikari threw the knife to the side, raising her hands up in defeat.

"Fine," Hagu said, but only before he threw his fist across the back of Madame Yagami's head, knocking her out.

" _Mother!"_  Hikari cried. "Why, you…"

"Take us to the treasure, pretty lass," Hagu continued, his look more menacing. "We'll bring you and your worthless friend."

Hikari looked worriedly at the marine boy as she let the other pirates bind and rope her wrists behind her back and roped. Taichi looked over to the marine boy, too, and couldn't help but pity him. He looked as though he didn't care about being called worthless, because he was already used to it.

As he watched Hikari and the boy follow the Hagu crew out of the dining room, he stood back against the wall, mind racing even more, blood pumping in his veins. He knew trying to intervene at that moment wouldn't help anyone, and that he couldn't take all of those guys on his own. Jumping down from the walls of the mansion, he started back toward the city centre to rejoin with his trusty swordsman.


	6. Chapter 6

Takeru thrust his sword down, and Yamato moved his in a swift horizontal to block.

"We should talk, lil' brother," Yamato said calmly, standing his ground, his blue eyes staring into the matching pair that was full of fire. Takeru grumbled, pushing the blade of his sword onto Yamato's.

"I am not  _little_ anymore!" he yelled, raging at the fact that he called him 'little', and that he had the same blood running in his veins as the traitor in front of him. "I'm surprised you dared to set foot back in this town, Nii-san!"

Yamato slid his sword away and jumped back, but quickly slashed, only for Takeru to swing back in defense. Takeru looked on with his fury, but Yamato's lips curled.

"You've improved, Takeru. That swing could have destroyed your shoulder."

"Of course, I have!" Takeru stood back and kept his sword aimed. "I've been training to get to your level!"

"I'm flattered."

"It  _wasn't_  a compliment!"

Takeru stormed forward, swinging his sword to and fro, while Yamato hit back each time, effortlessly stepping backwards through the cobble stoned footpath without a stumble. The more his attacks missed, the more enraged he became - but it was something he learned a long time ago that he needed to control if he wanted to actually win this duel.

"Cool your head, Takeru!" Yamato said sternly then, blocking yet another swing as he whirled past a barrel behind him. "A hot-headed swordsman always fights a losing battle!"

Hearing it from the person who taught him that only made it worse. Takeru forced his sword down with both of his arms at the hilt, thinking he finally had an opening, only to miss Yamato and hit the railings of the wooden steps of a storefront, causing shards of wood to fly everywhere. Yamato, however, found himself falling backward into the broken steps. Taking his chance, Takeru pointed the tip his sword at his older brother's neck.

Instead of pointing his sword right back, Yamato dropped it, and raised his hands up. "Stop this right now, Takeru. I don't want to fight."

"Well, I do!" Takeru's voice lowered but was still full of anger. "You took everything away from me when you left this town! You took away my life… my real  _Nii-san_ …"

Yamato sighed. "I'm still here, Taker-"

"You're a  _bloody pirate!_  The Yamato I need is gone! Worst of all, you took… you took our parents…"

Yamato froze as Takeru stared him down with the face of anger never faltering, save for him holding back his tears.

"I should take your head for all you've done to me!"

"Takeru…" Yamato relaxed, but his hands still remained up. "Takeru… Are you really going to kill me?"

"I'll do it! I swear!"

"Then, what are you waiting for?"

Takeru clenched his teeth, staring at his brother who was giving up willingly. Now was his chance to strike. One quick stab through the heart, and Takeru's revenge would be satisfied.

But, Takeru couldn't move at all.

"Bombs away!" came a sudden shout from afar. Takeru first noticed Yamato's eyes change as he looked above, his eyes narrowing to a squint, though he appeared confused. Then, Takeru turned around and looked up, seeing something small and round heading towards them, and as it fell closer, they zeroed in on its red color and pointy stem, its sides misshapen, concave, and white in contrast.

An  _apple?_

Not one, but two apples fell between where Yamato lay sprawled and Takeru stood, his sword still held mid-air. Before any questions could spark in either of their minds, they heard a squawk, followed by a flock of seagulls flapping frantically between them. Yamato rolled out of the way, and Takeru jumped back, his sword fumbling from his hands until it dropped to the ground.

" _Geeez,_ they're really mean tonight," Taichi groaned as he approached them. The seagulls continued to screech furiously as they fought among themselves for bites. "How am I going to complete my mission if I don't have any more of my apples to eat?"

"Ta… Taichi?" Takeru turned, thunderstruck.

"Takeru! Little squirt!" Taichi grabbed Takeru by the neck and laughed as he rubbed his fist against the top of his head.

"Ow- hey-!"

"Long time, no see!" said Taichi cheerfully to the struggling Takeru, before dropping his voice to a threatening whisper, close to his ear- "I saw what you were trying to pull over here."

"And? Why are you here?" Takeru asked fiercely. "I can't imagine you came back to this town just to carelessly let your food go to waste!"

"Don't worry, Cap," Yamato said, casually wiping off the dirt from his pants. He knew that Tai throwing his food away was torture in itself, but it was no accident. "Just a fight between siblings. Nothing more."

"If you say so." Taichi loosened his grip while Takeru pushed himself away, glaring. "We'd better hurry, Yama," Taichi added. "Or my own sibling won't be around to fight with any longer."

Yamato looked at Taichi, and Takeru's expression changed suddenly, realizing who Taichi was talking about.

"What happened?" Yamato asked, picking up his sword from the ground and making sure the other two were still on his belt.

"Hagu and his crew took Hikari and some marine kid hostage, and they're headed toward the cave under the hill. It's where the Yagami family treasure has been stored for centuries."

"Hikari… Hikari's in trouble?" Takeru said under his breath, startled at this discovery. "Are you headed there? I'm coming with-"

Both Yamato and Taichi turned to him, both in disbelief.

" _No,_  Takeru," Yamato said. "Stay out of this."

"But- Hikari- I need to get to her -"

Yamato held him back.

"You stay here. This is not your fight."

"But-"

"It's too dangerous for you, Takeru."

The two pirates were about to head out, when Takeru grabbed a hold of Yamato's sleeve. "I get to decide what's too dangerous for me, Nii-san! You think I haven't seen danger? You don't know a thing about me!"

Yamato exchanged glances with Taichi, and then he turned to Takeru without force.

"I guess there's a lot we need to learn about each other, lil' brother. We'll settle this later. For now,  _stay here."_

Yamato's eyes were gentle but commanding. Reluctantly, Takeru opened his hand to loosen his grip, and before long, he watched Yamato follow Taichi as they ran into the dark roads around the mansion leading to the hillside. He wanted to kick himself for backing down, for being reduced to the little boy he once was, being persuaded to listen to his older brother's commands just because he was just that - his older brother.

But why the hell was he listening to a pirate? How could even he stay put when the one he cared for most was in danger?

Takeru picked up his sword, then ran to his shop. He ran through, searching along the walls and the racks, and found the second sword he wanted to carry with him. After attaching it to his belt, he locked up shop again, and darted toward the direction his pirate older brother ran off to.

* * *

As the moon rose into the night sky, while the rest of the Hagu Crew headed into town and toward the mansion, three of its members quietly boarded the DoreDore ship, which was unusual to be darkened without flames lit, and floating steadily along the calm seaside. One of the pirates held up a torch as they tiptoed along the deck, the other two following closely behind, keeping their chuckles and sneers to themselves. Unbeknownst to them, the blue-haired member of the ship kneeled quietly behind a stack of wooden boxes where the torch light missed, and he stayed still as his eyes followed their every move, anticipating his moment to strike.

The three intruders stopped then, when they heard a cacophony of sounds coming from the area below. As they stepped closer, they noticed a light from where the sounds came from - the clanging of pots and pans, and a musical sound, as melodic as a songbird - and a ladder that would lead them there.

They slid down the ladder and quickly crouched low behind the table. It was there they all saw her - her long, wavy light brown tresses bouncing as she danced around the kitchen, her slender curves as her hips swayed to her singing - the most beautiful cook of the sea, right before their eyes.

" _Arittakeno yume oooo kakiatsumeeee…"_

The three pirates looked in awe for a moment, but collectively realized a new idea. They exchanged glances and mischievous grins, all of them thinking how great it would be to capture her and force her to become the cook of their own ship.

" _...sagashi mono sagashiiini yuku noo saaa…"_

She sang and danced back and forth with a wooden spatula she sang into, but she never turned away from the stove. It was an advantage for the pirates to creep towards her with her back facing them the whole time. They made their way to the edge of the kitchen, but realized how small and narrow the kitchen actually was, and that more than one of them would make it too crowded to catch her. The leader of the three decided it would be him as the one to attack her.

" _Pocketo no coin,  
soreto y_ _ou wanna be my frieeend?..."_

The leader rose up and cautiously inched closer, every quiet step closer to grabbing her waist, his hands reaching the tips of her hair...

" _We… are… we… are… on the cruuuuise!…We-"_

Mimi let out a loud shriek as she turned, however, so did the lead pirate, who suddenly held his face with his hands as he yelled in agony. Mimi watched in terrified shock as gripped the handle of the frying pan in her hand, which had been filled with cooking oil at the stove's highest setting before the scathing oil splattered against the pirate's face.

"Oh…" The terror left Mimi's face as she realized who she just injured, and the corners her lips turned upward as she giggled. "Oops."

The second pirate shouted a battle cry as he charged toward Mimi, who ran toward him to press the back of the hot pan onto his face. He screamed and stepped back, and with enough force, he threw the pan across the room away from Mimi's hands.

"Defenseless now, are we, little miss pretty chef?" the pirate said with a menacing guffaw as he drew his sword, but the smile he wore disappeared, and his eyes widened as Mimi tripped him with a kick to his leg. Before his back reached the floor, Mimi twisted him around to hold her arm at his neck, revealing a large knife in each of her hands.

"You forget that chefs are good with cutlery."

The third pirate swung suddenly, and Mimi yelped and ducked, losing her grip of the second pirate. The two pirates jumped toward her but Mimi dashed her way out of the kitchen, causing them to crash into each other.

The lead pirate stumbled over the fallen pirates from the kitchen, his face red with a fresh splatter burn. He threw his sword at Mimi, who immediately dodged out of the way, but not before using her knives to slice the rope that tied together the shelf full of dishes. The shelf gave way, sliding the stacks of ceramic plates and bowls onto the pirate's head, knocking him out completely.

"We needed new dishes, anyway," Mimi told herself.

The other two pirates collected themselves by then, and Mimi got up and jumped back past the dining table to avoid their swings. The knives remained in her hands, but she knew she couldn't fight back without risking a harmful slice on her body. From the last swing, she stumbled backward onto her bottom, her back crashing against a crate. Based on its sturdiness, she knew the crate was heavy. The two pirates smiled sinister as they kept their swords in tow, their dirty hands in their grimy black gloves reaching for her shoulders-

Mimi heard a growl. She remained calm, immediately recognizing the sound. Behind the crate, a pair of fiery red eyes glowed against the darkness. The jaws of the two pirates fell open, and they dropped their swords in horror, appearing to want to step back but remained frozen in place.

"Get 'em, Kou," Mimi said, and Koushiro stomped out of the darkness, lifting up the crate from behind her with ease. "Careful, and don't hit the dining table," she added.

But the pirates were stepping backward toward the neatly arranged table, and Koushiro faced them as he followed, ready to aim and throw the crate at any time. The pirates then turned their heads then, as though they suddenly discovered the ladder was their way out, and broke into a frantic run. Koushiro ran after them and lurched the crate forward, which hit one of the pirates perfectly but left the other one to jump and grab onto the ladder. Filling with rage, Koushiro jumped over to lift the dining table as though it was cardboard.

"Oh, no-" Mimi said. "Kou, wait-!"

Koushiro angrily catapulted the table the hit the final pirate square in the back, causing him to fall away from the ladder and onto the ground as he lost consciousness, with the dining table now crashed against the wall into four pieces.

Mimi slapped her palm against her forehead. "I guess we can get a new table, too."

"Everything alright down there?" came Jou's voice from the deck.

"Everything but these pesky pirate men," Mimi replied, then added a pout. "And our dining area."

"Phew," said Jou with a heavy sigh of relief. "I'll keep watch out here, then."

Mimi got up and brushed the broken dishes aside to sit on top of the unconscious pirate underneath. Koushiro grunted as he stomped toward her, the glow of his eyes fading back to normal. By the time he plopped down next to her - the pirate under them shouting in pain as he did - Koushiro was back to normal.

"You better help me clean this up," Mimi said, frowning at him.

"You betcha," Koushiro replied, sounding as though the wind was knocked out of him. "Are you hurt at all?"

Mimi giggled then. "Nope. I'm lucky I made it out in one piece."

"Captain will be most proud."

"Let's hope he and Yamato come back that way, too."

"They will - I am absolutely sure of it," said Koushiro, leaning against her and closing his eyes to his restful state. Mimi tilted her head to rest against his, hoping the joyous captain and her loving swordsman would return soon.

* * *

Past the bottom of the hill and through a hidden dirt road, Hikari quietly lead Hagu and his crew of four pirates to large rock covered in vines on the hillside that faced a large pond. One pirate each walked behind Hikari and Davis, watching their bound hands together behind their backs, while the remaining pirates each had a flamed torch in their hand.

"We're here," Hikari said, glaring straight at Hagu. "Unhand me."

"And if I don't?" Hagu said with a toothy smile.

"Well, then you wouldn't get your treasure, then, wouldn't you?"

Hagu slapped her across her cheek, and Hikari fell to the ground, the wisps of her hair loosened from her braid flew against her face.

"Hikari!" Daisuke called, struggling to run to her, only to be held back by the henchmen.

"This girl's got a mouth," Hagu said, as Hikari's hair fell away from her face revealing her worsening glare. "You try that again, and you'll lose your tongue!"

The pirates cut the rope from her wrists, and Hikari massaged them gently, but withstood the temptation to throw her fists at Hagu's golden tooth. She turned and walked toward the rock wall and placed her palm against it and moved her hand around, feeling for the crack that curved into the shape of a door. When she found it, she brushed the vines away, and with force she moved her palms forward to push the door open.

"Ow! Dangit, Suka!"

The pirate holding Daisuke's wrists threw his hand behind his neck to rub. Everyone else's heads turned, Daisuke looking on in confusion as the pirate smacked the other one standing closest to him.

"Chuu! What was that for?!"

"You hit me for no reason!"

"I did not!"

Daisuke eyed the two Hagu pirates as they bantered back and forth. Hikari raised a brow, and Hagu himself appeared to tremble with increased anger the longer the two fought.

" _Enough,_  you two!" Hagu clamored in anger. "This is no time to dilly-dally! Remember what we're here for!"

Suka and Chuu lowered their heads and shoulders. "Yes, Captain," they said, ridden with guilt. As Hikari turned and entered through the rock door, Hagu followed closely behind, and Suka and Chuu joined the other two pirates shortly after.

For one short moment, everyone had forgotten about Daisuke, who hesitated to stay still in his spot, or decide follow them in. Did it even matter anyway, if he followed the danger or stayed back and ran? No one else was going to care what happened to him - not Hagu and his pirates, not Hikari, and not even his own marine chief father.

But in that short moment, Daisuke felt his hands free from the bounds of rope from his wrists. He turned his head to meet a pair of amber eyes under a dark blue bandana, but her hair fiery underneath. She had one hand holding his wrists but her other hand up to her mouth, her finger on her lips. Daisuke recognized her from the marine's 'Most Wanted' posters - Sora, the nimble thief, only second to the notorious DoreDore crew altogether. His father had thrown anger fits for all the times that Sora slipped from under his nose.

And she was in front of him now, saving his sorry bottom.

Hagu's shout echoed from inside the cave.

"Where is the useless boy?!" he yelled.

Sora stared at Daisuke intently, and without moving her lips, Daisuke understood. As soon as Suka and Chuu appeared before him, they looked him up and down, crossing arms on their chests with disapproval.

"Ha, what a sorry, little runt," Chuu quipped. "Just standing out here, without even  _trying_ to escape."

"It's like you  _want_ to be killed!" Suka added. "...Why are you looking back there, anyway?"

Daisuke turned around again, realizing that Sora had already vanished.

Suka then pushed Daisuke's back to walk forward. Daisuke, whose hands remained behind his back, but neither of the pirates noticed the missing rope from his wrists. When he entered through the opened from the rock door, he surveyed area, cavernous and murky shone from the light of the torches, his shoes squelching with each muddy step.

He looked to Hikari, who looked back at him, the angry red mark flaring against her cheek. Her eyes, however, didn't glare at him; to his surprise, she was looking at him with concern. It made him believe, then, that, even if it was for one short moment, there was at least one person in this world who cared about him.

And as the group pressed forward together, and his hands unbound, Daisuke had a new thought growing in his mind:

He was going to save Hikari, and he was going to take down these pirates, no matter what.


	7. Chapter 7

Hikari kept her composure as she led Hagu and his men through the cave tunnel. She felt her discomfort as she wore the heavy fabric of her blue dress, she felt dirty all over from treading through the dirt and mud, and her sore cheek only served as a reminder that Hagu would most likely kill her as soon as she showed him the treasure.

The cave walls were bare, save for the torches that were lit along the walls that ignited as soon as the cave door opened, along with mounds of stalactites and stalagmites along either side of the tunnels. Hikari was unarmed, and as far as she knew, any forms of weaponry were on the belts of the pirates that held her and Daisuke captive. The only way to get out of this, she figured, was to attack them head on.

She wondered what Taichi would do at a time like this.

"Hey, Hagu," said the pirate Gazi holding Hikari's bound hands. "Do you think Saru and the others are handling it out there?"

"They better be!" Hagu said with a guffaw. "I would be causing a ruckus on the damn DoreDore ship with them if it wasn't for the gold."

Hikari gasped. The  _DoreDore?_ But that meant-

"What about Kuma?" asked the fourth pirate Nume.

"Kuma's out there with the boys rioting through the town!" Hagu continued. "I have no doubt they're having fun dealing wreaking havoc on the weakling townspeople. The poor, good-for-nothing, pieces of tr-"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence, if I were you," Daisuke said suddenly, and Hikari was stopped by the pirates abruptly. She turned to look at Daisuke, whose eyes were narrowed at the pirates now glaring at him.

"What did you say, boy?" Hagu said with a low growl.

"Don't listen to him!" Hikari spat quickly. "He's got nothing important to say, anyway! I thought you wanted the treasure - let's get this over with!"

Hagu turned to her with a smirk and let out a sound of approval. "How considerate of you, Lady Hikari."

Just as Hikari intended, the pirates drew their attention away from Daisuke then as they moved forward. She met his eyes, which she couldn't read. Then, she saw his hand twitch behind him, and...

His hands...the rope was gone?

"What happened to getting this over with?" said Gazi who pulled at Hikari's wrists. "All these googly eyes between you two lovebirds is making me sick!"

"He's not-!" Hikari stammered as she noticed Daisuke look away, his cheeks turning pink. She turned to face ahead and continued walking ahead, feeling heat rising in her own cheeks.

Covered by the shadows of the stalagmites, Taichi and Yamato followed Hagu's men closely behind, crouched down from sight. For the most part, Hikari appeared to be alive and feisty as ever, even with her face and dress smudged with dirt, and her face shining an odd red.

Taichi clenched his teeth the moment he noticed that, but kept himself from acting recklessly. The crew looked strong, Hagu being the biggest and strongest of them all, but he knew that both his and Yamato's strength and wits about them could take them on. His mind continued to race when Hikari stopped the group in front of the large steel doors, built right into the cave walls. In the center of the doors was a five-spoke handle, along with a dial placed diagonally above.

Any moment now, Hikari would be pushed towards the vault, forced to turn the dial with the code, and, who knew what hell would transpire next. Even as he and Yamato rushed toward the cave and at that moment, he was waiting on the right moment to strike, especially when it was five large pirates against the two to save his sister and the marine boy - 'Daisuke,' he heard his sister say - the two being him, Yamato, and -

"Get your filthy hands off of her!" a voice echoed through the tunnel, and Taichi turned to see a new light approaching.

"Son of a…" Yamato said, and as the figure passed with a torch in one hand, his sword in the other, Taichi looked on in disbelief.

"Takeru?!" Hikari said in surprise.

"That little…!" Yamato lunged forward, and Taichi immediately grabbed his arm to hold him back.

"We're not going to just barge in, Yamato!" Taichi hissed. "They'll kill us!"

"Not if I  _kill him first!"_

"Yamato!" Taichi commanded, his voice in a harsh whisper and his eyes fiery. "Not  _yet!"_

"Takeru! Stay back!" Hikari pleaded, causing both Yamato and Taichi to let their anger subside and turn back to the scene before them. Takeru threw his torch to the side and held his sword up with both hands gripping the hilt, his second sword hanging on his waist.

Hagu laughed. "Aww, how precious - looks like you've got  _two_ admirers, Lady Hikari."

Two of Hagu's men with free hands held up their own swords as they stood face to face with Takeru.

"Take one more step, boy, and who knows what'll happen to your lady friend," said one of them.

"Takeru!" Hikari cried again, and Hagu grabbed the collar of her dress.

"Silence, you little wench!" Hagu sneered.

Yamato looked to Taichi, who finally conceded to the situation. All the men and Hikari before them were not looking in their direction, meaning they could both jump out in surprise, and take down at least two in an instant, and then fight against the rest.

"It's now or never, Yamato," Taichi said, and Yamato nodded. "On my count of three, then."

Taichi held one finger up to count, mouthing the number "one," and Yamato moved his hand to his hilt. At "two," Yamato was at the end were the stalagmite tapered off, ready to lurch forward. He didn't hear "three," but just as he was about to take the leap -

Taichi's laugh rang throughout the cave, and Yamato halted in his place of cover.

"Who the hell is that?" Hagu asked, everyone else turning in confusion to see the big-haired pirate captain standing in the center for all to see, with his large, odd spectacles strapped over his hair, his hands balled into fists at his sides, wearing a big grin, just for Hikari.

"Taichi?" Takeru asked, brows furrowed.

"Taichi..." Yamato groaned, hitting his palm against his face.

"Taichi!" Hikari exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him.

"Well, well, well," Hagu said. "If it isn't the wannabe king of pirates himself. Come to rescue your sister?"

"What kind of brother would I be?" Taichi asked, moving forward in large strides one step at a time towards the group. "Now, why don't we be civil and settle this like gentlemen? Let these three young ones go. The real fight is with me."

Hagu bellowed. "Ha! Like gentlemen? Are you mad?" He drew his sword and waltzed towards Taichi, who eyed the other four henchmen closing in on him and Takeru, leaving Hikari and Daisuke behind. Just as he intended. "Don't you realize what we are? We are  _pirates!"_

Taichi met eyes with Daisuke further back, then to Takeru in front of him, and then Yamato, who was ready to pounce from the hiding spot. When Taichi's eyes ended up on Hagu again, his lips curled into a smirk.

"I tried," Taichi said, unsheathing his sword, throwing it against Hagu who blocked right away. Daisuke immediately grabbed Hikari to unwrap the rope on her wrists. Takeru swung at the pirate Nume who jumped back to dodge, and Yamato jumped high through the stalagmite and ran, carrying his two swords in his hands.

Suka lunged toward Taichi who threw a kick at him, sending him flying back and falling onto the ground.

I thought this was a swordfight?" Hagu said.

"Anything's fair game in a fight against pirates," said Taichi as they began their fight sword to sword.

As soon as the Daisuke loosened the rope free from Hikari's wrists, Hikari lunged forward to run to Taichi. Daisuke threw his arms around her waist from behind her to hold her back. She definitely was stronger than she appeared.

"Taichi needs help!" Hikari said desperately.

"Don't do it, Hikari!" Daisuke exclaimed. "You'd be foolish to go unarmed!"

"I can fight with my bare hands if I have to!"

"Hikari,  _please!"_  Daisuke held her back with all his might. "Don't you realize Hagu doesn't care about anything else other than your family gold? He's going to kill everyone here, even you!"

That was when Hikari finally stopped.

"I know," she said, her voice lowering. She fell back against Daisuke's chest as he held her, her eyes lowered to the ground.

"Are you really going to give him the gold?"

"I am." Hikari stood up and walked away from Daisuke's grasp, then turned to face him, her expression worried but determined. "I'd do anything to protect the people of this town,  _and_ the ones I love."

Daisuke looked at her in awe. "You're incredible…" Then, his eyes focused as he stared into her eyes. "I won't let him hurt you, Hikari. He'll have to go through me before he even tries to lay a hand on you."

Hikari furrowed her brows, staring back in confusion at first. But she realized then, he was being serious. Her lips curled into a smile. "Don't sell yourself short, Daisuke," she said. "You're better than you think."

"Die, you fool!" shouted a voice, and Hikari and Daisuke snapped their heads toward the swordfights, where one of the pirates laughed as he and two others approached Takeru.

As Yamato arrived, Takeru was already in the middle of the fight against, Nume, Gazi, and Chuu. He stood back and watched as he watched Takeru force his sword in front of him at light speed with each blocked attack, whirling around and swinging back. It impressed Yamato to see his younger brother take on three opponents at once and making it look easy.

Takeru knocked Gazi and Nume down without a hitch, leaving one more pirate to tackle. Yamato dropped his arm to his side holding his sword at his hilt, astonished as he watched Takeru. He almost put his sword back into his sheath before he saw Chuu throw a punch into Takeru's stomach. Takeru flew back with the wind knocked out of him as Chuu laughed aloud. Just as Chuu made his swing, Takeru rolled on the ground to dodge, then threw his sword up to guard from Chuu's.

"You're a quick one, aren't you?" Chuu said with a smirk.

"Don't underestimate me!" Takeru replied angrily, swinging back and jumping away. Yamato put his sword back in his sheath and crossed his arms as he leaned against a cave wall. He watched Chuu run forward, appearing annoyed as he pointed his sword. Takeru blocked him again, his face in full concentration. Then, Chuu cried out in frustration, throwing one more swing the Takeru fought back, causing Chuu to collapse to the ground unconscious.

Takeru dropped his arms to his side and heaved a sigh.

"Takeru!" Yamato called suddenly. Chuu still twitched on the ground, but Nume, Gazi, and even Suka were steps away from Takeru, all of them ready to strike a blow.

That was when Takeru turned to face them with not one, but both of his swords forming an 'X' in front of him, and Yamato smirked at this pleasant surprise. When Takeru pushed the three pirates back, Yamato predicted Takeru's moves as he watched along. Takeru ducked as the first and second attack swings missed his head. Then, he whirled and slashed, directly hitting Gazi and square in his chest. He jumped to dodge Nume's sword swing, and held his sword up to block Suka's attack. With a shout, Nume and Suka ran toward Takeru from opposite sides, and Takeru whirled around with his swords, everyone striking at the same time.

Takeru held his stance as he held his swords at his sides, the end of his shirt flying up against the pirates rushing past, but Yamato didn't see any slashes. Instead, he saw Nume and Suka both behind Takeru, their swords dropped to the ground, followed by their bodies collapsing next to them.

"I wonder where you learned those moves," Yamato said coolly, approaching Takeru as he returned both his swords onto their sheaths on his belt.

"I learned by watching you, Nii-san," replied Takeru, staring down at all four of Hagu's henchmen, sprawled and unconscious on the ground.

"I expected no less than impressive."

"This doesn't change the fact that I still hate you."

"Takeru…" Yamato held his hand out, about to touch Takeru's shoulder from behind, when the clanging of swords from afar quickly approached them.

"Get out of the way!" cried Taichi, and Takeru and Yamato jumped away in opposite directions as Taichi and Hagu fought with their swords. Hagu dueled really well with a sword, Taichi found, as his own attacks were quickly met with aggressive strikes, causing him to jump away. But he also found how easy it was to irritate Hagu, especially when Taichi jumped furtively out of sight, which confused Hagu many a time and had his turn his head left to right. By the time he found Taichi, he was met with a big grin followed by a flick at the nose.

"You'll never fool me!" Taichi added boastfully as he swung his sword to and fro against Hagu. At this point, Hagu growled and threw his sword, but with a forceful swing, Taichi knocked it out of Hagu's hand, and Hagu stopped with widened eyes. "Checkmate… 'mate."

Then, Hagu's downturned lips turned upward. "I wouldn't be too sure about that, Goggle Boy," he said.

In a flash, Hagu drew a pistol, pointing it straight at Taichi. Immediately surrounding them, Yamato and Takeru drew their swords, pointing them at Hagu, and Hikari screamed.

"Any of you try anything funny, and I'll shoot!" Hagu added.

"That's cheating!" Taichi said with a frown.

"Like you said," Hagu continued, baring his teeth. "Anything's fair game in a fight against pirates." Then, he turned to Hikari. "What's keeping you, lass? Open the vault!"

"No!" Hikari shouted, tears streaming down at the sight of her brother at gunpoint. "Don't shoot him! I'll give you the gold, but let him live! Shoot me instead!"

"Hikari!" both Daisuke and Takeru shouted frantically. Taichi widened his eyes at the sound of his sister sacrificing herself for him. If he could, he would stop this moment in time just to hold her and tell her it would all be okay in the end.

But looking past the glinting gold tooth in Hagu's mouth in the corner of his eye, he noticed movement in the shadows behind the stalagmites. He couldn't believe his eyes, but the longer he looked, the more he realized what he was looking at.

A silhouette of a womanly figure…

It really was all going to be okay in the end.

Taichi closed his eyes and smiled. "Hikari-chan. Open the vault."

"Taichi-nii…" Hikari's tears kept flowing. "What about you?"

"Trust me." Taichi opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Just open it."

Hikari looked to him in disbelief. She turned to Yamato who gave her a nod, then to Takeru, who looked just as worried as she did. Daisuke placed his hand on her shoulder in comfort, and Hikari decided then that she had to trust her brother. As she walked toward the vault, Daisuke looked down on the ground, noticing that the rope that he unbound Hikari from was nowhere to be seen.

After hearing the sounds of pushing buttons, and a long creak at the turn of the vault wheel, Hikari pulled the lever, and the vault door opened, revealing large stacks of gold inside.

"My turn to say it," Hagu said with a sinister smile. "Checkmate."

And with that, Hagu pulled the trigger.


	8. Chapter 8

Taichi fell back against the ground, his eyes closed, and his body lay still.

"Taichi-nii…" Hikari said, collapsing and feeling as though all the oxygen in the room disappeared. Daisuke caught her in his arms, barely able to stand with the shock of what he had just witnessed. Takeru dropped his sword to the floor and rushed to Taichi's side, not knowing what else to do or say.

It didn't take long for the pistol to fly out of Hagu's hands. Rather than feeling the stabbing of a sword, Hagu quickly felt the blow of Yamato's fist square against his jaw, the force enough to knock his gold tooth from his mouth.

"You bastard..." Yamato growled, his gaze cold and icy towards the pirate who just shot his captain and his best friend. "Do you realize what you've done?!"

"I just killed the greatest pirate in the land! Too bad he can't keep that title any longer!"

Hagu cackled, even as the angry swordsman loomed over him, gripping the front of his shirt. However, Yamato underestimated Hagu's strength when he flew back across the cave by a push, hitting the back of the cave wall before falling to the floor.

"And you won't, either," entered a new voice. Everyone turned their heads to see that another pirate was already behind Hagu, holding a strip of rope around his neck. Her dark, tight fitted clothing, and her fiery red hair under her bandana were easily recognizable.

"Sora…" Hagu struggled to say through the choking at his neck. "You're known as a thief, not a murderer. Are you willing to change your ways?"

Sora's eyes narrowed. "I'm thinking about it, given the situation…"

Hagu was able to let out a cackle. "I love it when good girl goes bad."

"Me?  _Good?"_  Sora tightened the rope around him. "There's more to me than you think, you swine."

"Sora." Yamato stared from where he sat, looking at her with intensity. He knew she didn't have it in her to kill Hagu, even as he saw the pain in her eyes.

She stared back, the grip still tight. But then, feeling a slight sense of guilt, she loosened the rope, and Hagu let out a sigh in relief. However, before he could open his mouth to speak, Sora whirled to his front, looking at him face-to-face. He gave her a sly smile, her face emotionless as her hands moved up to his shoulders. He let out a humming laugh, thinking he finally got her attention, but instead, he was met with a writhing pain as she jerked her knee forward, and she lifted her dagger up and threw the handle hard against his face, knocking him unconscious.

Yamato got up, rolling his neck around and cracking his shoulders, wriggling his arms loose before running over to Takeru. Sora turned to Hikari and Daisuke, who both helped each other stand up, and then rushed to Takeru who sat at Taichi's side.

Taichi, whose eyes were slowly fluttering open.

Sora's dagger fell out of her hand as she ran to his other side next to Takeru. Everyone now sat around Taichi, who, as Sora gripped his right hand in hers, saw that his breathing was growing faint, and the hole of the bullet on his shirt just above his heart. Taichi squeezed her hand with what energy he seemed to have left, forcing Sora's eyes to water on her lids. Hikari held Taichi's other hand, holding back her own tears. Taichi turned his head to his sister first, giving her a small smile.

"Hikari-chan," he said softly. "I'm always with you, no matter what."

"I know," she said, holding his hand tighter.

"Sora…" he whispered then as his head turned and his eyes met hers. "What's with that face? It's breaking my heart."

"Don't leave me like this…" Sora said, her voice quivering. "There was so much I was going to tell you... I can't believe you're going to leave me without even knowing… I was… I was even going to join your crew…"

Taichi lifted her hand, to which she gasped. She didn't want him to make too much movement in this state, but she knew he would be too stubborn to listen to her, anyway. He brought his hand to her cheek, his hand still warm against it. Then he took her hand again, and she let him guide her hand to the right side of his chest, where the bullet hole remained. What was he trying to tell her?

Taichi put his hand over hers, and, for a moment, her heart tightened at this gesture… And that was when she felt it.

Her hand had been pressed against something hard and sturdy underneath his shirt. Taichi moved his hand off of hers and dug under his shirt from his neck collar. When he pulled his hand back out, he revealed the string necklace and a large golden emblem, now with a dent from the bullet that hit him.

That was when a huge grin spread across Taichi's face.

"What was that I heard, Sora?" he asked. "Have you finally changed your mind? Have you finally come to your senses?"

"Baka." Sora said nothing else and got up from her spot.

"Sora?" Taichi sat up and called for her. "Are you really going to join my crew? Sora? Come on, Sora - come back!"

She walked away, refusing to turn back, but she didn't want him to see the tears streaming down, and the smile on her face in her utmost relief.

Taichi watched Sora disappear into the tunnel, leaving him with everyone else around him. Daisuke scanned the ground surrounding them, and that was when he spotted the bullet that hit the medallion, which must have bounced off and dropped to the ground.

"You knew?" Daisuke asked Taichi. "You knew he was going to shoot?"

"I knew he had a pistol," Taichi replied. "I figured he'd try to shoot me dead, so I covered my heart."

"He could have gone for your head, y'know," said Takeru.

"Well, even with these goggles, what else am I going to keep all of this hair for, anyway?"

The others exchanged blank glances.

"Baka," they all repeated. Takeru said it in helplessness, while Yamato hit his palm on his forehead again. Hikari just cried, but she also laughed, relieved to see her brother had only pulled one of his crazy stunts.

"What are we going to do about them?" Takeru asked then, and everyone turned to look at all five Hagu crew pirates, including the captain, laying still on the ground. As if a new idea appeared in his mind, Daisuke lifted his hand up with a snap of his fingers.

"I know just the thing," said Daisuke.

* * *

When Hagu woke up, he found himself in the middle of Taiyou's city centre, his feet bound by rope and his hands locked in steel cuffs. The sun rising in the sky made it plain to see that not only were his crew members that went along with him to the cave, but also the crew that rioted in the town. All of them were either knocked out cold or slowly gaining consciousness, just as he did.

"Ah, you're awake," said a deep voice that sounded familiar. He looked up to see a man he might have seen once earlier that evening; tall, older, burgundy hair. It wasn't the stocky, useless kid, but -

"Trying to peg where you've seen me before, eh?" he said. "You attempted to kill a few of us. I'm Chief Motomiya, Hagu."

"It's  _'Captain'_  Hagu to you," Hagu grumbled.

Chief Motomiya had a smug look on his face as he strided back and forth along the line of the captured crew. "You and your crew have been captured on the counts of the following: destruction and trespassing of private property; kidnapping; and, attempted murder… among many other things. Don't think we will be taking this lightly."

"Cap…" Kuma whispered, nudging his side. "Saru and the others aren't here. Do you think they made their escape?"

"It doesn't matter anymore, Kuma," said Hagu. "For all we know, they've been had by the DoreDore crew, just like the rest of us."

"There are more pirates around?" Chief said then, overhearing the pirate conversation, but Daisuke stepped into view, his team of marines following behind him.

"No one else, Dad," he replied. "We've scoured the island, and all we found were Hagu's crew."

"That's my son! Excellent work this morning," the Chief said, patting Daisuke on the shoulder. Daisuke shot a sharp look at Hagu, who was tempted to oust Daisuke's lies.

"Did you have something to say,  _Captain_ Hagu?" Daisuke asked, him and his men now towering over him and his pirates like giants ready to step on ants.

Hagu glared at him, but said nothing else.

Daisuke smiled back in triumph, but in the back of his mind, he felt extremely relieved. If his dad knew that the DoreDore pirates were still on this island, there would have been an urgent public execution just for their heads, and Hagu and his men would have been set free. It wouldn't have been fair for Hikari, much less the DoreDore crew themselves, who risked their lives to keep her and a lowly marine like himself from harm's way.

* * *

Saru was still unconscious while both Mimi and Koushiro sat on top of him in the kitchen. Koushiro snoozed as he rested against Mimi's back. Mimi sat with one leg crossed over the other, leaning forward as she stared closely at her nails that were perfectly curved, glossy, and painted pink.

"Mimi…" Yamato said as he jumped down from the deck.

"Yamato! My love!" Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him, and she kicked herself off of Saru, the stub of her heeled shoe jabbing his face as she did so.

"What happened he-" Mimi cut him off as she wrapped herself around him with a smile, greeting him with endless kisses. Happily accepting this, Yamato closed his eyes and held her tightly as he kissed back.

"Yamato," Taichi called from the deck, completely unaware of what was going on. "Everything okay down there? Yamato?"

"Captain," said Jou nearby, and Taichi turned to see Jou's arms stretching from behind boxes. "Glad to see you're in good shape."

"You too, Jou."

"Taichi-nii!" Hikari called, and Taichi looked over the ship back to land, where Hikari smiled and waved with Takeru standing on one side, and, to his surprise, Sora on the other side. Taichi leapt over ship the ledge to join them on land.

"Mother and Father should be okay," Hikari told Taichi. "I'll be fine, too."

Taichi laughed. "Of course, you'll be. You're related to the world's greatest pirate."

"Just wait until I become one," she said. Taichi was still laughing as Hikari pulled him into a warm hug.

"You'd better get out of this curtain-dress phase first."

"Like that'll be hard."

"You, a pirate?" Takeru asked.

Hikari, Taichi, and Sora turned to Takeru, who scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I guess pirates aren't so terrible, after all…" he continued. Hikari giggled, and Taichi smiled.

"If only Yamato was here to hear that," said Taichi.

"We're not all terrible," Sora chimed in. "At least, not the ones who  _didn't_ fake their deaths."

Taichi turned to face Sora. He looked into her fiery eyes as she stared back into his, the two of them standing silent for a while. Takeru shifted uncomfortably, and Hikari giggled again.

"Let's stand over there," said Hikari, leading him away by his elbow.

"Taichi..." Sora began, only to become confused by the skeptical stare on his face. His thumb and forefinger rested against his chin as his eyes trailed down to her sides, then to her belt, and then to her pouch, even down to the insides of her socks and shoes-

Sora narrowed her eyes and grabbed his shoulders, startling him.

"Whoa, hey!" Taichi said in surprise.

"I didn't take a damn thing, Taichi. You should know me well enough that I wouldn't do that to you, or even to Hikari!"

"Alright! Alright..." Taichi's face softened as she looked at her hurt expression. "I'm sorry. Really, I am."

She threw her fist against his chest, not with force, but enough for Taichi to feel the sharp pain from the newly forming bruise.

"Ow! ... I deserved that."

"Baka," she said softly, averting her angry eyes. Then, she silently pushed herself against him, wrapping her arms around him. He took her in his embrace, and let the peacefulness of the moment between them take over.

"There's something else I don't understand, Taichi," Sora said once they pulled apart. "Why haven't you taken any of your family's gold for yourself?"

Taichi shrugged. "It was never mine to take. I leave it all to Hikari. She's going to need it someday to protect the town when she becomes the governor of Taiyou. That is, if she doesn't become a pirate, first." He looked over to Hikari, who appeared to enjoy herself as she chatted with Takeru. "As for me, I've gotta earn my keep."

He brought his fingers to reach Sora's hand in front of him, lacing each finger slowly until their hands were fully intertwined.

"I know what I want," he continued. "I want you to join me, Sora. Join my crew."

Sora broke their hands apart, and she took a step back. "Taichi, get it in your head," she said. "I work alone. We're pirates. We've got bounties on our heads. It's $500,000 for mine. Don't tell me you don't know yours."

They both knew. Even without his crew, Taichi was the most sought-after pirate. The bounty for his head had too many zeroes for anyone to count.

"I could get any old civilian to turn you in, Taichi. I'd give them a hefty share from your bounty, and still swim in a mountain of gold for the rest of my life. But, you know me…" Sora pulled the front collar of his shirt closer, bringing him closer to her. "I guess I just want what I can't have."

Sora met his lips with hers, melting him on the spot.

"Whoa…" said Takeru, as Hikari leaned against him with a smile on her face. Jou, who had been watching from the ship, looked on in wonder. And as Sora parted her lips from Taichi with a smirk, he had his own look of fascination, being left speechless by her kiss.

* * *

The moment Hikari and Takeru walked into the foyer of the mansion, the governor and his wife flew from their chairs towards her.

"Hikari-chan!" her mother cried, weeping in Hikari's arms. Her father joined the hug soon after "Oh, your beautiful blue dress is ruined! But I'm so glad that you're safe!"

"You are, too," Hikari said with relief, about both her parents, as well as the current state of the dress which meant she never had to wear it again. "Thank goodness."

"Ah, there's the lad we were waiting for!" Chief Motomiya appeared in front of Takeru, who reacted with confusion.

"You were waiting for me?" Takeru asked.

"Well, who else will we be rewarding the Hagu bounty to?"

"Wait, me?! I didn't-"

"Don't be so modest, Takeru." Daisuke stepped out from behind the chief. "You took the Hagu pirates down all by yourself."

Takeru knew that he didn't, and Daisuke and Hikari had to have known. Taichi was there, and even Yamato in the town…

"I'm impressed," said the governor, smacking Takeru's back. "A blacksmith worthy of fighting pirates. We'll rid them all from this world, one day."

Takeru watched Daisuke hold his tongue. Hikari's hand was still held in his, but he felt her trembling. As much as he felt animosity against those pirates…

"I don't want the money," he said, and Daisuke looked at him, stunned. Hikari lifted her head up in surprise. "Not for me, anyway. I've said this before and I'll say it again - not all pirates are terrible."

"Well, this money can't be left unclaimed," the Chief said, curious at Takeru's decision.

"Give it to the poor. They need it more than I do."

The Chief guffawed. "The poor? Fine. I'll give it to you to waste it on them. Useless pieces of tr-"

"It's settled, then!" Daisuke interjected loudly, causing all heads to turn to him. "Didn't you say we had a ton of cleanup to do, Dad? And there are a bunch of calls about pirates wreaking havoc on the other islands close by?"

"What's gotten into you, son? Whatever it is, I like it!"

The Chief bowed to the Yagamis before taking his leave. Daisuke did the same shortly after, and the governor and his wife left the room, both of them appearing less approving of Takeru as they had been all along. Before Daisuke left for the door, Hikari ran to him, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"W-what was that for?" Daisuke asked, his cheeks reddening.

"A thank you for helping me out. And my brother. Takeru, too. You helped save all of us."

As Daisuke left, Hikari turned to Takeru, who stared down at the large pouch of coins that had just been awarded to him in his hand. Hikari took the pouch from his hand and set it down, so that she could replace it with her hand to hold when she kissed his lips. Takeru felt his breath pause, and his heart skip a beat, but he tried not to show it as he gently kissed back.

"A governor's daughter and a blacksmith…" she said softly with a smile as their lips parted.

"Clearly, your parents won't approve of this," Takeru said, noticing her blushing cheeks that matched the heat on his.

"Silly Takeru. Like that's ever going to stop me."

Takeru smiled back before cupping her cheeks with his hands to kiss her again.

* * *

After Jou and Taichi lifted the anchor and adjusted the sails, the DoreDore ship left the shore and toward the sea once again. They both climbed down the ladder into the dining area, surprised to find the aftermath of a disaster. Koushiro dragged the three Hagu pirate invaders near the ladder, all of them still unconscious but now tightly bound at their hands and feet. In the corner of the room, amidst the shattered dishware and broken up dining table, sat Yamato and Mimi, in each other's arms. Yamato watched in admiration as he listened to Mimi chattering away.

"Is that why Yamato didn't answer me earlier?" Taichi asked.

"I've been asking them to help a few times already," Koushiro applied. "It's like the rest of us don't exist."

Taichi only laughed to himself, knowing exactly how that felt.

"What happened here, anyway?" Jou asked, and Taichi wondered the same thing.

"Well, these dimwits tried to invade our ship, but Mimi handled it-" Koushiro paused as he looked around at the destruction. "I helped a bit."

"'A bit', huh...?" Taichi couldn't connect the dots then.

"What about you, Captain?" Jou asked. "What happened in town?"

"Well, we saved my sister, and I nearly died."

Simultaneously, Jou and Koushiro gasped. "You  _nearly died?!"_

"Well, yeah, and then…" Taichi thought back to Sora hiding in the shadows, and then the medallion placed over his heart. "I was saved by my treasures, I guess."

Jou and Koushiro exchanged confused glances. Taichi reached underneath his shirt, and came to find out the medallion wasn't there. He checked his pants, his pockets, all over his shirt before slowly realizing the most likely thing that happened.

Taichi climbed back up to the deck, looking back at the rock where Sora's boat was no longer docked. Running to the front of the ship to look toward the open ocean, his gaze centered onto her boat, which was getting smaller and smaller as it sped off further into the distance. He couldn't see her, but he knew that she was sitting in that boat, wearing the dented golden medallion around her neck with a smile.

He smiled too, although he knew that his treasures were more than what was sailing away on that boat. It was Hikari, his little sister maturing into a young, independent free spirit. It was the members of his crew sailing with him - Yamato, Jou, Koushiro, Mimi, and it was the ship they were all sailing on together.

"Captain!" Mimi called, and Taichi looked to see her and Yamato arm in arm as they approached him from the dining area, followed by Koushiro and Jou closely behind. Taichi gave a high five to Koushiro and patted Jou's shoulder, squeezed Mimi's hand and exchanged fist bumps with Yamato. Then, Taichi turned to face the frontward again with everyone else, stretching his goggles against his forehead, and put his hands on his hips. He felt the wind blowing against his face as he savored the view of the clear sky and sea, deep, blue, and vast. The view in front of him held nothing but the great unknown, and Taichi smiled as he looked ahead, awaiting their next adventure.

**\+ Part I +**

**\+ owari +**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for Part 1! Phew, this chapter had a lot of romance... gotta love those ships.
> 
> Things to expect for Part 2: More of the Digidestined 02 kids! The reason Takeru hates Yamato - revealed! Hikari gets a haircut! Taichi finds out a secret that Sora's been keeping from him! And many more things!
> 
> I still have two other ongoing fics that I'm updating, so I want to get a handle on those before I get cracking on part dos... so you'll see something updated in due time.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I've written it! Please leave me a comment to tell me what you think, I'll even allow you to pester me for part 2 if you so please. x)


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